HARRISON, Ark. – The Missouri State University-West Plains Grizzly Basketball team went 1-1 in the North Arkansas College Pioneer Classic Friday and Saturday, Nov. 20 and 21, in Harrison, Arkansas.
Friday, the Grizzlies (8-2) lost a heart-breaker to Arkansas Baptist College of Little Rock 74-73, but turned around Saturday and defeated North Lake College, Irving, Texas, 76-64.
“Losing by 1 point on a prayer of a buzzer beater hurts enough, but to give up a lead like we did made it that much worse,” Grizzly Basketball Head Coach Yancey Walker said of Friday’s loss to Arkansas Baptist. The Grizzlies held a 40-25 advantage over Arkansas Baptist at halftime, but they let the Buffaloes outscore them 49-33 in the second half.
“It’s a tough transition to the college level. Every team we play is full of guys who were selected for that team. There are no possessions off like there are in high school. That is a lesson that has to be learned in order to reach our ceiling,” Walker stressed.
“To our team’s credit, they defended Arkansas Baptist very well for 30 minutes,” he continued. “Arkansas Baptist is so explosive that any made shot on its end or a rushed or wasted possession on our end gives the Buffaloes hope. Hope is something you can’t give a team like that.”
Statistics show the Grizzlies connected on 28 of 65 shots from the field for 43.1 percent, 10 of 21 3-point attempts for 47.6 percent and seven of 15 shots from the free throw line for 46.7 percent. They also recorded 31 rebounds, 11 assists, 17 turnovers and 13 steals.
Sophomore forward Ngor Barnaba led the Grizzly charge with 26 points and eight rebounds. He was followed by freshman guard Vonny Irvin with 12 points, three rebounds, five assists and two steals; freshman forward Devonte Campbell with 11 points, five rebounds, one assist and two steals; and sophomore guard Antonio Winn with 11 points and one rebound.
The Buffaloes hit 30 of 66 shots from the field for 45.5 percent, five of 17 3-point attempts for 29.4 percent and nine of 12 free throws for 75 percent. They also recorded 43 rebounds, six assists, 20 turnovers and 12 steals. Leading scorers were Stevie Clark with 16 points, Kaanan Jackson 15 and Anthony Black 11.
“We have to continue to develop when it comes to finishing possession,” Walker said. “We continue to say it, but success is a process. We have to keep taking steps forward.”
Against North Lake, an NJCAA Division III team, the Grizzlies battled to a 29-28 halftime advantage, then outscored the Blazers 47-36 in the second half to take the game. “North Lake is a good team,” Walker said. “They have good size, and they shoot almost 40 percent from the three as a team. As far as their Division I games, they only lost at Hutchinson (Community College) by five, lost to Northeastern Junior College by four, and at Independence (Community College) by five. They run their offense very well, they are very patient, and they play their zone very well. It was a trap game.”
The Grizzlies went into the game on little sleep, having traveled back to West Plains after Friday’s contest. “We knew they would be game to play us, especially after a short night with a lot of travel,” Walker said. “We shared the ball exceptionally well. We were always looking for the next open man. We got their zone to shift, and we got a lot of great looks on the inside. To be able to beat their zone on the inside and from the three was very satisfying.”
For the game, the Grizzlies connected on 27 of 56 attempts from the field for 48.2 percent, 13 of 24 3-point attempts for 54.2 percent and nine of 16 free throws for 56.3 percent. They also recorded 21 assists, 33 rebounds, 14 turnovers, eight steals and one block.
Sophomore forward Terrel Martin-Garcia paced the Grizzlies with another double-double performance, scoring 26 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. He also had an assist and a steal. He was followed by Barnaba with 21 points, five rebounds, two assists and a steal; and Irvin with 15 points, two rebounds, five assists, one block and four steals.
The Blazers connected on 24 of 48 shots from the field for 50 percent, six of 14 3-point attempts for 42.9 percent and 10 of 15 free throws for 66.7 percent. They also recorded 25 rebounds, 10 assists, 15 turnovers, one block and eight steals. Leading scorers were Jeremy Crane with 20 points and Johnnie Brown and Caleb Quinney with 12 points each.
This week, the Grizzlies will travel to Garden City, Kansas, to participate in the Pepsi Thanksgiving Classic Friday and Saturday, Nov. 27 and 28, hosted by Garden City Community College then pay a visit to Friends University in Wichita, Kansas, Nov. 30 for a contest with that school’s junior varsity squad. On Dec. 5, they open Region 16 play with a trip to Three Rivers College in Poplar Bluff before returning home Dec. 11 and 12 to host the Grizzly Christmas Classic. They will close out the semester Dec. 15 with a home contest against Richard J. Daley College from Chicago, Illinois.
“This past weekend was rough. The travel was difficult, we lost a heartbreaker to Arkansas Baptist, and North Lake really made us guard. Being a successful team is part of a process. We have two very difficult games this week, then we play at Three Rivers the following Friday. We follow that up with Northern Oklahoma College-Tonkawa and Iowa Western Community College the following week. We have to really focus to have a successful run before Christmas break,” Walker said.
For more information about the Grizzly Basketball program, visit the team’s website or call the Grizzly Basketball office at 417-255-7993. Complete game statistics can be found here.