The IUS men’s basketball team won their first home game by a score of 100-87 against the Mid-Continent University on Friday, Nov. 6, in the Activities Building.
The game was part of the Joe B. and Denny Classic.
The No. 10 ranked Grenadiers (1-1, 0-0 KIAC) bounced back after losing their first game of the season to the University of the Cumberlands on the road, 83-64, in Williamsburg, Ky., on Nov. 2.
The Grenadiers shot well, hitting 51.6 percent of their total field goals and 37 percent of their attempts from beyond the 3-point line. The Grenadiers also totaled 18 assists as a team.
Winston Bennett, Mid-Continent head coach, said his team had trouble keeping IU Southeast off of the offensive glass, even though his team actually had 10 more offensive rebounds than the Grenadiers.
“We gave up so many offensive rebounds,” Bennett said. “IUS rebounds killed us.”
Both teams rebounded the ball well, with the Cougars outrebounding the Grenadiers by one, 46-45.
IU Southeast, led by Carlos Mitchell, senior guard, who scored a game-high 22 points and also had 5 rebounds and 2 steals. Jazzmarr Ferguson, junior guard, chipped in 21 points, a game-high 9 assists and 2 steals.
Other players contributing to the Grenadier victory were Rick Bodiford, junior guard, with 15 points, and Craig Bryant, junior guard, scoring 13 points.
“Our offense was good with dribble drives and great shooters, but our defense was terrible,” Wiley Brown, head coach of the Grenadiers, said.
Brown said he was upset with his team’s 28 turnovers and with the Cougars final score being in the 80s.
“Our goal is to keep other teams in the 60s scoring range,” Brown said.
The Cougars were led in scoring by TiRon Peoples, senior guard, who scored 14 points and recorded six steals.
Chris Ferguson, Mid-Continent sophomore forward, recorded a double-double, scoring 12 points and pulling down a game-high 15 rebounds.
Ferguson also swatted away a game-high four shots. Donovan Willis, Mid-Continent senior guard, added 12 points and a steal.
The Grenadiers’ win gives them the Joe B. Hall and Denny Crum Classic Trophy for the third year in a row.
“This was a big win for us,” Ferguson said. “We’re tough and athletic and looking forward to a big year.”
This is the third year for the Joe B. and Denny Classic, which honors Joe B. Hall, former men’s basketball head coach at the University of Kentucky.
Denny Crum was the men’s basketball head coach at the University of Louisville.
Hall and Crum were honored during halftime by two of their former players, who are now the head coaches of the two teams.
Mid-Continent head coach Bennett is a former player for the University of Kentucky, and IU Southeast head coach Brown is a former player for the University of Louisville.
By LEAH TATE
Staff Writer
lmtate@ius.edu