CHANUTE, Kan. – You never know how a team is going to handle its first road test of the season, but fans of the Missouri State University-West Plains Grizzly Basketball team didn’t have to worry.
The Grizzlies kept pace with a run-and-gun Neosho County Community College squad on its home turf in Chanute, Kansas, and came out of the contest with a 91-67 victory, keeping their season record unblemished at 3-0.
“Road wins are hard to come by, especially against good teams,” Grizzly Basketball Head Coach Chris Popp said. “We’ve got a long way to go, a lot of areas to improve, but I felt like the guys were ready to compete.”
KEYS TO VICTORY
Going into the game, the Grizzlies knew they would have to handle the Panthers’ frenetic defensive pressure. “They throw several presses and zones at you. Going into the game, we knew being able to handle that was big key,” the coach said. “Neosho works to speed you up, force bad decisions and quick shots. Our guys handled that pressure very well.”
Rebounding also was a key component to the win. “They’re long, athletic and aggressive, and we did a decent job keeping them off the boards,” the coach said. In fact, the Grizzlies out-rebounded their opponents 46-29.
INDIVIDUAL EFFORTS
Leading the way in that department was redshirt freshman guard Radshad Davis, who grabbed 12 rebounds. “Radshad was huge,” Popp said. “He had six offensive rebounds, 12 total, along with 12 points and four steals.
“He is the glue, a guy who solidifies everything out there for us,” Popp added. “He comes up with the big plays. It’s unexplainable how he affects our team.”
Another impressive performance was turned in by freshman forward Dontell Brown, who had 18 points and eight rebounds. “Dontell showed what we’ve been seeing in practice every day. He came off the bench and stepped up offensively for us. He was eight of nine from the floor,” the coach said.
Brown was one of two Grizzlies who netted 18 points. The other was sophomore point guard Ricky Torres, who saw limited court time when he received his second foul of the game with over 15 minutes left in the first half.
“Ricky had 18 points and five assists, and he did that playing less than five minutes in the first half,” Popp said. “He came out and led the way as we extended our lead early.”
Even without their sophomore point guard, the Grizzlies were able to go into halftime up by 10 points, 41-31. They then out-scored the Panthers 50-36 in the second half.
ONE BLEMISH
If there was one blemish on the game’s stat sheet, it came in the turnover category. The Grizzlies coughed up the ball 22 times. While not happy with that number, Popp said it wasn’t completely unexpected.
“You’re never happy with turnovers, but they press for 40 minutes. When you play a team like that, (turnovers are) going to be up a little bit,” the coach said. “In their last game, Neosho forced 29 turnovers. That’s what they do.”
Still, Popp was pleased with the overall outcome of the Grizzlies’ first road test. “It was our first taste of a hostile environment, and I was very pleased with the way the guys responded,” Popp said.
NEXT UP
The team’s now on its way to Council Bluffs, Iowa, to compete in the Holiday Inn/Hampton Inn Reiver Classic hosted by preseason No. 20 Iowa Western Community College this weekend. They’ll face the Reivers at 7 p.m. Friday and Graceland University’s junior varsity squad from Lamoni, Iowa, at 3 p.m. Saturday.
“It will be an entirely different situation in Iowa,” Popp said. “Iowa Western will be the first team to match us in size. They’ve got size inside, and they’re good at executing their game plan. It’s a different game and a different challenge for us.”
For complete statistics of the Grizzlies’ games this season, visit http://stats.njcaa.org/sports/mbkb/2017-18/div1/teams/missouristateuniversitywestplains. For more information about the Grizzly Basketball program, visit the team’s website or call 417-255-7991.
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