COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – The Missouri State University-West Plains Grizzly Basketball team’s record now stands at 3-3 after splitting their games this past weekend at the Holiday Inn/Hampton Inn Reiver Classic hosted by Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
The Grizzlies defeated Quakerdale Prep, New Providence, Iowa 105-77 Friday afternoon, but they fell to the host Reivers 105-98 Saturday evening.
“Overall, I thought it was a good weekend. We did get past our slow starts, and I felt like we got better in each game. Those are the things you want to see early in the season,” Grizzly Basketball Head Coach Chris Popp said.
Still, the Grizzlies can’t help wondering what could have been against the Reivers Saturday when early foul trouble and injuries to a couple of members of their front court hampered their efforts to pick up a nice road win.
“We feel like one got away,” Popp said. “It was an opportunity to go on the road and play a good team at their place in a good atmosphere, and our players stepped up to that challenge. Foul trouble continues to be our Achilles’ heel. At one point, we had two forwards hurt and the other three in foul trouble.”
Redshirt freshman forward Stefan Lakic spent much of the first half on the bench because of fouls. He did, however, return in the second half to score most of his 20 points for the game. Freshman forward Yannis Mendy also had his playing time limited by fouls, and sophomore forward Austin Garner fouled out.
Freshman guard Radshad Davis, who had just returned to the Grizzlies’ lineup after an injury, found himself on the bench again with about six minutes remaining in the game nursing another injury. Still, he ended the evening as the Grizzlies’ leading scorer with 21 points. Freshman forward D’Shawnn Coleman also was injured in the game and played sparingly.
Despite the foul trouble and injuries, the Grizzlies had their chances. Down 51-46 at halftime, the Grizzlies battled back and forth with the Reivers throughout the second half swapping the lead on several occasions. But in the final minutes of the game, the Grizzlies missed a two-foot floater and got into a situation where they had to foul to try to regain possession of the ball. A missed opportunity on a rebound off a Reiver free throw resulted in the final blow to what had been a one-possession game.
“I have to keep reminding myself that they are a young team and they are getting better,” Popp said. “The guys were focused and ready to play. They did everything they could to overcome some adversity and put us in a position to pull it out. I told them after the game I appreciated the way they handled themselves in that intense environment.”
Five Grizzlies scored in double figures against the Reivers. In addition to Davis and Lakic, freshman guard Darnell Butler had 14 points, redshirt freshman point guard Ricky Torres added 13, and redshirt freshman point guard Quinton Gray scored 11.
Against Quakerdale, six Grizzlies scored in double figures. They included redshirt freshman guard Lane Duncan with 19 points, Butler 18, freshman guard Isaiah Brown 13, Gray 11, and Davis and Lakic with 10 each.
The Grizzlies won’t play again until Nov. 22 when they host OnPoint Hoops from El Reno, Oklahoma, in a 7 p.m. Contest in Joe Paul Evans Arena at the West Plains Civic Center. One area of the game in which the Grizzlies will be working leading up to the contest is defense. “We gave up 105 points (to Iowa Western), and that’s really disappointing. Defensively, we simply must get better, and that will be our focus moving forward,” Popp said.
After a trip to Moberly to compete in the Moberly Area Community College Thanksgiving Classic Nov. 25 and 26, the Grizzlies will travel to Memphis, Tennessee, to face the No. 7 team in the nation, Southwest Tennessee Community College.
They will have the opportunity to exact some revenge on the Reivers at 3 p.m. Dec. 10 when Iowa Western comes to town to participate in the Grizzly Christmas Classic. Other teams competing in the two-day event, which begins Dec. 9, include Arkansas Baptist College from Little Rock, Arkansas and College of Faith Prep from West Memphis, Arkansas.
For more information about the Grizzly Basketball program, visit the team’s website, http://wp.missouristate.edu/grizzly/bb/, or call 417-255-7991. Complete box scores of the games can be found online, as well.