MOBERLY, Mo. – The Missouri State University-West Plains Grizzly Basketball team suffered its first Region 16 loss Saturday, Feb. 4, after falling to Moberly Area Community College 68-41 in Moberly, Mo.
The Grizzlies are now 18-6 overall and 4-1 in the region. Moberly is 14-7 overall and 3-1 in region play.
“This game was a Murphy’s Law game,” Grizzly Basketball Head Coach Yancey Walker said. “We turned it over 25 times, and they were all turnovers that we haven’t made for a long time. No one looked good in the game.”
The Grizzlies hit 15 of 33 shots from the field for 46 percent, five of 13 3-point attempts for 39 percent and six of 16 free throws for 45 percent. Sophomore Kevin Nelson led the Grizzlies in scoring with 15 points.
The Greyhounds were 26 of 51 from the field for 51 percent, two of 10 from 3-point range for 20 percent and 14 of 16 from the free throw line for 88 percent. Kenny Williams paced Moberly on the scoreboard with 21 points.
“We have to move forward. We have to get better from this and learn from this. We have no other choice,” Walker said.
The Grizzlies will try to get back on the winning track at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 7, against Arkansas Baptist College of Little Rock in a non-region match at the West Plains Civic Center arena. They will return to region play Saturday, Feb. 11, when they travel to Poplar Bluff, Mo., to take on the Three Rivers Community College Raiders in a 7 p.m. contest.
“There really isn’t much else to say,” Walker said. “It’s not what happens to you, it’s how you respond. We can’t live in the past. We can learn from it, but again, we can’t live there. We can’t feel sorry for ourselves. We still have to protect home court and figure out a way to beat Arkansas Baptist at home on Tuesday. Then after that, we have to go win at Three Rivers.
“We played at Iowa Western, at Butler, at Independence and at Indian Hills by choice so we could prepare for the region schedule,” the coach continued. “We just have to get back to being us.”
For more information about the Grizzly Basketball program, including complete game statistics, visit the team’s website at http://www.wp.missouristate.edu/grizzly/bb.htm or call the Grizzly Basketball office at 417-255-7993.