The IUS men’s basketball team defeated Asbury College 75-62 on Jan. 17, in the Activities Building to remain undefeated in the Kentucky Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
The win moved the Grenadiers’ record to 14-6 overall and 4-0 in the KIAC. With the loss Asbury fell to 12-6 and 0-1.
The win was the Grenadiers’ fifth in a row.
Wiley Brown, IUS head coach, said he is happy with where his team is, and right now is the best time of the season for them to be peaking.
“After being under coach Crum and coach Pitino, I learned that you want your team to be peaking right now,” Brown said.
The win was a total team effort from IU Southeast.
Three Grenadiers recorded double-doubles and a fourth was only one point away from recording a double-double.
Craig Bryant, junior guard, led the way for the Grenadiers with 19 points, he also grabbed 10 rebounds.
Charlie Gonzalez, junior center, scored 16 points and hauled in 10 rebounds.
Jazzmarr Ferguson, sophomore guard, scored 16 points and dished out 11 assists.
Coming on the heels of a 33 point performance against Brescia University, Ferguson’s performance cemented him as the KIAC Player of the Week for the third time this season.
DeJon Gary, junior guard, fell one point shy of recording a double-double. He finished the game with nine points and a team-high 13 rebounds.
Brown said injuries have left the Grenadiers thin down low.
“We only have one [big man],” Brown said. “We have to play like that. Every body has to play defense and rebound.”
Jordan Hammonds, sophomore forward, led the way for the Eagles with 20 points. Michael Spann, senior guard, chipped in 13 points and eight rebounds.
IU Southeast never trailed in the game and the only time it was tied was the opening tip.
The Grenadiers, led by Gonzalez’s solid play inside, jumped out to a 14-4 lead with 13:56 remaining in the first half.
Early in the game the Grenadiers’ depth suffered another hit as Carlos Mitchell, junior guard, had to be taken in for stitches to close up a gash on his head.
The Eagles answered IU Southeast’s fast start and outscored the Grenadiers 19-10 over the next 9:59 to cut the Grenadier lead to 24-23 with 3:57 to play in the first half.
IU Southeast outscored Asbury 10-6 in the final 3:57 in the first half to secure a 34-29 halftime lead.
Bryant scored 13 of his team-high 19 points in the first half.
Hammonds led Asbury with nine points in the first half.
Asbury, the highest scoring team in the KIAC came into the game averaging 92 points per game, was held to 36 percent shooting in the first half, going only 4-15 from behind the 3-point arc.
Daniel Prevett, Asbury assistant coach, said this is not the type of effort he is used to seeing out of the Eagles.
“We were four of 15 in the first half,” Prevett said. “That is not our game at all.”
A 3-point play by Brian Johnson, Asbury junior forward, pulled the Eagles to within one at 39-38 with 14:34 remaining in the game, but this is as close as Asbury would get.
IU Southeast countered Asbury’s spurt with a 12-2 run, sparked by Ferguson, who had six points during the stretch, to give the Grenadiers a 51-40 lead with 11:41 left to play in the game. This was the Grenadiers’ largest lead since they led 20-9 with 9:29 to play in the first half.
IU Southeast’s ballooned to 20 following a field goal by Gary to put the Grenadiers ahead 73-53 with 2:20 to play.
Asbury outscored the Grenadiers 9-2 over the final minutes to secure the final margin.
Prevett said Asbury will go back to the drawing board before the teams meet again on Feb. 14 at Asbury.
He said he was happy the Eagles held Bryant to only six second half points, but he thinks the Eagles have to find a way to contain Gonzalez, who poses a major match-up problem, for Asbury.
“It will be a lot closer next time,” Prevett said.
Brown said he was happy with his team’s defensive effort and he and his team know that their full-court pressure defense will create a run at some time during every game.
“We sped the game up,” Brown said. “We wanted them to play at an uncomfortable pace.”
Brown, in his second year as IUS head coach, is yet to lose to a KIAC opponent.
The Grenadiers are ranked 19th in the latest NAIA Division II Coaches’ Top 25 Poll.
The IUS men’s basketball team will face Bresica University on Wednesday, Jan. 28, in the Activities Building at 7:30 p.m. The Grenadiers defeated Bresica on Jan. 15.
By ERIC MCGUFFIN
Editor
demcguff@ius.edu