COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – The Missouri State University-West Plains Grizzly Basketball team turned in an uncharacteristic performance this past weekend at the Holiday Inn/Hampton Inn Reiver Classic in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
The Grizzlies lost both of their contests in the two-day tournament, falling to Northeast Community College, Norfolk, Nebraska, 92-71 on Friday night, Dec. 5, and the host team, Iowa Western Community College (IWCC), 74-54 Saturday night, Dec. 6. The losses drop the Grizzlies’ season record to 10-5.
“This was a rough weekend,” Grizzly Basketball Head Coach Yancey Walker said. “We were not ourselves. We had guys who had been playing very well look a step slow. It’s hard to put a finger on why things happened the way they did.”
The Grizzlies struggled with their scoring in both games, only hitting 36 percent of their shots from the field against Northeast and 30 percent of their shots from the field against IWCC.
“We never got in sync offensively in either game,” Walker said. “We made a nice run in the second half against Northeast, but it was just a little too late. Against IWCC, we held them to 72 points and we got 15 offensive rebounds, but we simply didn’t score the ball well enough.
“We didn’t get out in transition in either game, as well,” he added. “Against Iowa Western specifically, we were not nearly aggressive enough. We only shot three free throws for the entire game.”
Against Northeast, the Grizzlies hit 25 of 69 shots from the field for 36.2 percent, eight of 30 attempts from 3-point range for 26.7 percent and 13 of 20 attempts from the free throw line for 65 percent. They also had 33 rebounds, 13 assists, 12 turnovers and 10 steals. Leading scorers were freshman guards Dazhonetae Bennett with 11 points and Keion Peoples 10.
Northeast hit 33 of 62 shots from the field for 53.2 percent, 11 of 22 3-pointers for 50 percent and 15 of 18 free throws for 83.3 percent. The team also had 41 rebounds, 22 assists and 16 turnovers. Leading scorers were Buay Tuach 23 points, Chima Moneke 22, Jalen Bradley and Kevin Metoyer each with 17, and L.J. Westbrook 11.
Against IWCC, the Grizzlies connected on 23 of 76 shots from the field for 30.3 percent, eight of 29 attempts from 3-point range for 27.6 percent and zero of three free throw shots for 0 percent. They also had 41 rebounds, 12 assists and 11 turnovers. Leading scorers were Bennett with 16 points and sophomore guard Craig Eubanks with 11.
IWCC hit 28 of 63 attempts from the field for 44.4 percent, eight of 17 3-pointers for 47.1 percent and 10 of 13 free throws for 76.9 percent. The team also had 43 rebounds, 17 assists and 10 turnovers. Leading scorers were Donovan Jackson with 24 points, Rico Thompson 14 and Thik Bol 12.
The Grizzlies will close out the fall portion of their season with two home games this week. They will play Independence (Kansas) Community College at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 10, and Highland (Kansas) Community College at 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 13. Both games will be in Joe Paul Evans arena at the West Plains Civic Center. “We have a great chance to go into the Christmas break feeling good,” Walker said.
Wednesday’s game also will include recognition of the Mtn. View-Birch Tree Liberty High School and Winona High School varsity girls volleyball teams at halftime. The Liberty Lady Eagles captured the Class 2 state championship, defeating 2012 state champions Fatima 2-1 for Mtn. View’s first ever title in volleyball. The Winona Lady Wildcats continued their domination of the Class 1 ranks, picking up their third consecutive state title this year.
The Bounce House in West Plains will sponsor Wednesday’s game and will set up some activities for children in the exhibit hall, Walker said. There will be a nominal fee charged, he added.
For more information about the Grizzly Basketball program, visit the team’s website at http://wp.missouristate.edu/grizzly/bb.htm or call the Grizzly Basketball office at 417-255-7993. Complete game statistics can be found at http://stats.njcaa.org/sports/mbkb/2014-15/div1/teams/missouristateuniversitywestplains.