HARRISON, Arkansas – The Missouri State University-West Plains Grizzly Basketball team picked up two more wins this weekend at the North Arkansas College Classic in Harrison, Arkansas, making their record 8-0.
Friday night was another high scoring game for the Grizzlies. Entering the night averaging 101 points per game, they were able to top that in a 106-102 win over the Metropolitan Community College-Penn Valley Scouts of Kansas City.
The Grizzlies jumped out to an 11-0 start before the momentum shifted. “Penn Valley takes a lot of quick perimeter shots,” Grizzly Basketball Head Coach Chris Popp said. “They didn’t make them early, allowing us to rebound and push in transition. That gave us a little bit of false comfort. One thing this team needs to learn is not to let up,” he said. The Scouts pushed back and took a 45-43 lead over the Grizzlies going into halftime.
The second half began with Missouri State-West Plains reclaiming the lead and extending it quickly to double digits; however, the Scouts did not go away. They pulled within three points on free throws with 20 seconds left in the game. Sophomore Ricky Torres was able to seal the win with the game’s final two points at the free throw line.
Overall, the Grizzlies shot an impressive 66 percent from the floor, including six of 14 from behind the 3-point line. “It was going to take that kind of night to overcome what they were doing on the other end,” Popp said. “That team can really shoot the ball and got it going early.”
Led by sophomore Radshad Davis with 24 points, the Grizzlies had six players score in double digits. Torres continued his tear, scoring 22 points and dishing out 12 assists, giving him his third double-double of the season. Freshman Burone Edwards had his best outing with 16 points and eight rebounds as well.
The second day of the Classic followed a similar pattern. The Grizzlies topped the Little Priest Tribal College Warriors of Winnebego, Nebraska, 95-81. Missouri State-West Plains jumped ahead 20-9 led by a strong early performance from freshman Niekie Thomas. “Niekie came ready today,” Popp praised. “He picked his spots well, was aggressive, but efficient.” The Grizzlies extended the lead to 18 points in the first half; however, the Warriors trimmed the lead to nine by halftime.
Once again, the Grizzlies opened strong in the second half, extending the lead to 16 in the first few minutes. They would remain in control of the game, although never putting the Warriors completely out of reach. “We have shown a tendency to get comfortable with leads,” Popp said. “That is something we must change moving forward.”
Freshman forward Dontell Brown led the way for the Grizzlies with 19 points, adding three rebounds and three steals. Torres added 18 points with eight assists. Thomas, Edwards and freshman Eric Lovett contributed 13 points each.
The Grizzlies return home this Tuesday as they face Arkansas Baptist College from Little Rock at 7 p.m. at the West Plains Civic Center. “This will be another good test against a long, athletic and aggressive team,” Popp said. “We will have to be ready to play.”
Popp noted that this is a special game as long-time Grizzly Booster Club members Dale and Carolyn Smith, West Plains, will be receiving the Grizzly Track Award at halftime. The award is presented periodically to members of the Grizzly Booster Club who have shown exceptional enthusiasm for and extraordinary support of Grizzly Athletics over an extended period of time. “This gives us a chance to say thank you to the Smiths for all that they do and have done for our program through the years. They have made a significant difference for many young people.”
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, http://wp.missouristate.edu/grizzly/bb/, or call 417-255-7991.