POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. – The Missouri State University-West Plains Grizzly Basketball team ended their four-game Region 16 road stretch on a positive note Saturday night, Feb. 10.
The Grizzlies held off a late-game charge by the Three Rivers College Raiders and walked out of Bess Activity Center in Poplar Bluff with a 78-76 win. The victory ups the Grizzlies’ overall season record to 21-6 and their region record to 3-3.
“It was the first time during this road stretch that we started well,” Grizzly Basketball Head Coach Chris Popp said. “We seemed focused and ready to go. It’s big not to be playing from behind right off the bat.”
THE GAME
The Grizzlies jumped out to an early lead in the first half and went into the break with a 39-28 advantage. They continued to build on that lead in the second, going up by 19 points with about five minutes remaining in the game.
That’s when the Raiders began fighting back and pulled within 2 points in the last minute of the game. The Grizzlies preserved the win when they tipped a Raider pass out of bounds as time expired.
“Missed free throws, a couple of careless turnovers and timely threes on their part allowed them to come back,” Popp explained. “Up until the last few minutes of the game, we maintained. We didn’t allow the runs we’ve allowed in the past. There weren’t huge swings, which has been the norm for us this year,” he added.
The Grizzlies also executed their half-court defense much better than they have been this season. “Since State Fair (on Jan. 24) that has been the absolute focus, and it’s been showing,” Popp said. “We have to be better in the defensive transition, but our half-court defense has been improving. It was very solid on Saturday.”
STATISTICS
Offensively, the Grizzlies shot 54.7 percent from the field, 26.7 percent from 3-point range and 53.3 percent from the free throw line.
“Our struggle at the free throw line has allowed teams to hang around,” the coach said. “It is a difficult issue to address. We simply have to be mentally tough enough to step up to the line and knock down shots.”
Leading the way on the scoreboard was freshman guard Niekie Thomas with 25 points. “It was great to see Kie play well,” Popp said. “Kie had a career high 25 points, guarded well, and he looked like the Kie before his injury. That was big.”
Thomas was followed by sophomore point guard Ricky Torres, who added 20 points and also recorded eight assists and five rebounds.
Sophomore forward Yannis Mendy recorded his 10th double-double of the year with 12 points and 15 rebounds, and freshman forward Dontell Brown added 11 points to the Grizzlies’ tally. “Yannis was really good on the glass,” Popp said.
Popp praised the atmosphere of Saturday’s game. “A great crowd traveled with us, and for the second year in a row, I’d say our crowd was louder than theirs,” he said.
GAME WEDNESDAY
The Grizzlies return home just in time for Valentine’s Day Wednesday and a rematch with State Fair Community College at 7 p.m.
“We’re glad to be back home,” Popp said. “We only have two games left in the civic center this season, and we invite the fans to come out for some Valentine’s Day entertainment.”
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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