POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. – They had the shot they wanted to send the game into overtime, but the Missouri State University-West Plains Grizzlies couldn’t get the ball to fall through the net in their hard-fought contest Saturday night, Jan. 21, against Region 16 arch rival Three Rivers College in Poplar Bluff.
In the end, the Grizzlies fell to the Raiders 81-78, dropping their season record to 9-12 and their Region 16 record to 0-2.
“We got exactly what we wanted,” Grizzly Basketball Head Coach Chris Popp said of the last-second shot. “With 14 seconds to go, we took a time out and talked about what we wanted to do, they executed and Ricky (Torres) got to the rim. It’s a shot he normally finishes, and I believe he will next time. I would run it again.”
Finishing shots seemed to be the Grizzlies’ problem throughout the evening. “We shot the ball well from the perimeter, but we didn’t finish it around the rim. A lot of possessions we got exactly what we wanted but couldn’t convert,” Popp explained. “There are a lot of things to point to, that we could have done better. What it comes down to is that we shot 38 percent from the floor. It is hard to win big games with that.”
The Grizzlies were down 7 points in the first half, but they battled back to take a 43-42 advantage into halftime, and they continued building on that lead early in the second period, going up by as much as 6 points over the Raiders. But turnovers and missed shots allowed the Raiders to come back and take the lead with about 15 minutes remaining in the game.
The Raiders expanded that lead to 10 points midway through the period, but the Grizzlies slowly nipped away at the deficit, pulling within 2 points with 37 seconds remaining. After Torres’ missed shot, the Grizzlies got one more possession with two seconds on the clock, but a long 3-pointer by freshman forward Yannis Mendy failed to connect.
“It was a great rivalry game and a great atmosphere. Up until the end, it was fun to be a part of it,” Popp said. “There were a lot of things we could have done better, but the one glaring issue was not finishing our shots.”
For the game, the Grizzlies shot 38.5 percent from the field, 44.4 percent from 3-point range and 80 percent from the free throw line. The Raiders were 42.2 percent from the field, 27.8 percent from the three, and 78.6 percent from the free throw line.
Sophomore forward Stefan Lakic led the Grizzlies in scoring with 18 points, followed by Torres, a redshirt freshman point guard, and redshirt freshman guard Lane Duncan each with 14. Sophomore guard Dwayne Orija added 11 points. Mendy led the team in rebounds with 11.
“Stefan keeps getting better. He had 18 points and six rebounds. He’s had two of his best games this past week,” Popp said. “Ricky played really well, too. He had 14 points, six assists and was three of six from the three. And, Lane is still shooting it well. He was three of five from the three.”
The coach also praised the efforts of freshman point guard Quinton Gray who, despite suffering from a respiratory illness for the past week, returned to play almost the full game. He recorded 6 points, three assists, three rebounds, one block and two steals for the night while still feeling the effects of his illness. “The kid is a competitor,” Popp said. “He’s an important piece for us, but especially with the foul trouble we faced Saturday. It was great to have him back.”
He also gave kudos to the Grizzly fans who make the two-hour trek to Poplar Bluff to cheer on the team. “Our crowd was phenomenal! We may have ended up with a loss, but our crowd won the battle in the stands. They were loud and into it. I know our guys appreciated it. We’ve had a great following this year, and it’s growing,” Popp said.
The Grizzlies’ next home game will be Tuesday, Jan. 24, against Region 16 foe, State Fair Community College of Sedalia. “It’s going to be another fast-paced game, a fun one for the crowd,” the coach said.
The remaining home contests are set for Feb. 11 against Three Rivers for homecoming, Feb. 21 against St. Louis Community College and Feb. 24 against Region 16 rival Moberly Area Community College, ranked fourth in the most recent NJCAA poll. All games will get underway at 7 p.m.
The Grizzlies hope to exact a little revenge Feb. 11 against Three Rivers, Popp said. “We’re looking forward to the homecoming game and getting another shot at them,” he said.
For more information about the Grizzly Basketball program, visit the team’s website or call 417-255-7991. Complete box scores of the games can be found online, as well.