“We came out ready to play tonight,” said head coach Jamaal Jackson. “I’m extremely happy about how we shared the ball tonight. We had 12 assists in the first-half, five guys in double figures with points, I think overall it went well.”
The Thorobreds (3-7, 2-2) have won two of their last three games, and three over their last five, while notching their first non-conference win of the season. The Tigers (3-4) have now lost three of their previous four games as they head home for back-to-back contest against King University and Lincoln University.
After dropping the first matchup in the season opener on Nov. 11, KSU made a statement from the opening tip with a 14-6 run putting the visitors in an early hole. Eight Thorobreds joined in on the offensive onslaught accounting for 53 first-half points with senior guard Dorian Jordan leading the way with 10 points and seven assists.
The second half proved to be much of the same as Thorobreds maintained their double-digit lead until the final two minutes as the Tigers drew within nine for the eventual final.
All five starters finished the night with double-digit points as Jordan led the way with team-high in points with 26, assists at 10, and rebounds with seven. Jordan’s performance solidified his third consecutive double-double and puts himself in rare air with over 500 career assists with 508.
Junior forward Kevin Hayes followed along with Jordan’s performance with 16 points and five rebounds, fellow junior forward Austin Sherrell notched 15 points and five boards. The two-guard senior combo of Reggie Breeden and Michael Stevenson each recorded 10 points and six rebounds.
“Those kinds of numbers show we’re trying to share the ball and moving the ball well, and that’s what we’re trying to do every night,” said Jackson.
KSU will put a capper on their six-game home stretch on Saturday as the University of Illinois Springfield visits the Exum Center for a 3 pm ET tip-off.
by Eric Mathews
