This Land is Your Land, This Land is Southland
Monday, February 9
Stephen F. Austin - 93
Northwestern St. - 82
Stephen F. Austin kept their Southland domination going with an 11 point win over Northwestern St. on Monday night. Ty Charles was the player of the game for Stephen F. Austin scoring 19 and adding 5 assists and 2 steals. Jalan West stuffed the stat sheet in a losing effort for Northwestern St. He had 28 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block. Stephen F. Austin remains unbeaten in Southland play while Northwestern St. falls to 7-4.
Return of the MAC
Tuesday, February 10
Akron - 61
Kent St. - 52
Akron has now won 5 of 6 after beating Kent St. on Tuesday night. Deji Ibitayo scored 11 off the bench for the Zips who are tied for first place in the MAC East with Bowling Green - a team the Zips have beaten twice already this season. Kent St., who has now lost 3 of 4, was led by 20 points from Devareaux Manley. Kent St. will face another tough challenge in their next game when they take on MAC West leader Toledo. Akron travels to Eastern Michigan for their next game.
Tuesday, February 10
Toledo - 92
Buffalo - 88
Toledo continued their winning streak on Tuesday night by beating Buffalo on the road. The Rockets have now won 6 in a row since losing back to back games in mid-January. All five starters scored in double figures for Toledo including leading scorer Julius Brown who had 25. Buffalo was led by Justin Moss who had a career high 33 points. He also added 10 rebounds for his 11th double-double of the year. Buffalo has now lost 2 in a row and faces another test in their next game against Central Michigan. The Bulls are 2 games back in the MAC East and can't afford another loss if they hope to win the MAC regular season championship. Toledo stays in sole possession of first place in the MAC West after the win.
Sweet Tea in the Big South
Wednesday, February 11
High Point - 73
Winthrop - 72
The race in the Big South gets some clarity after Wednesday night's games. The debate over who is the best team? Still debatable. High Point and Winthrop played an evenly matched and hard fought game that came down to the wire. Winthrop led by 10 points with just 3:28 left, but High Point would go on a 11-2 run to set up a wild finish. Winthrop was up by one point and was at the line with a chance to go up by three. Keon Johnson missed the front end of the one-and-one, though, and High Point's John Brown was fouled going for the rebound. He made both of his free throws to seal the win for High Point. They remain in first place, tied with three other teams atop the Big South standing. Winthrop will fall a game behind the leaders.
Charleston Southern - 83
Coastal Carolina - 72
Charleston Southern also remains tied for the lead in the Big South after they beat Coastal Carolina. Coastal Carolina drops into a three-way tie just behind the leaders. Saah Nimley led Charleston Southern in scoring with 24 points and Will Saunders added 18 and 8 rebounds off the bench. Charleston Southern shot 50% and hit 9 three-pointers in the win. The Chanticleers, on the other hand, shot just 40% for the game. Coastal Carolina should get back to their winning ways in their next game against Big South bottom-dweller Liberty. Charleston Southern also has a bit of a relief game next when they play Longwood.
MWC You in March
Wednesday, February 11
San Diego State - 67
Wyoming - 41
Aztec fans will see Wednesday night's blowout win as a statement game. A win to prove that San Diego State is the premier team in the Mountain West Conference. Wyoming fans will tell you it was their team trying to figure out how to play without leading scorer Larry Nance Jr. It Doesn't mean much, they would say. Cowboys fans better hope not, anyway. San Diego State dominated the game from the tip. They led 36-14 at halftime and would only increase that lead in the second half. They were led by Winston Shepard and Ageel Quinn who both scored 18. As usual, though, it was their defense that was most impressive. They held Wyoming to just 35% shooting and 11.5% shooting from the three point line. The Cowboys made only 3 three-pointers in the game. The chart above highlights how San Diego State wins games: defense. As you can see, when they give up more points, they struggle to score enough to win. That was not a problem on Wednesday night, though. Wyoming has now lost 2 in a row and needs to get back on track in their next game against San José State or they risk falling out of the Mountain West race. San Diego State now sits alone in first place and will have another test against Colorado State in their next game.
James Bond Will Return in...Big Skyfall
Thursday, February 12
Eastern Washington - 64
Sacramento State - 61
For awhile in the second half it looked like this game would be a runaway. Eastern Washington was avenging their 90-77 loss to Sacramento State in style. They led by 16 with just 7 minutes left. Sacramento State was not going to go easily, though. They went on a 19-4 run to pull within 1 with 4 seconds left. They fouled Eastern Washington's Drew Brandon, who had 13 points on the night, played every minute of the game, and didn't miss a free throw the entire game. He made both of his free throws on this foul, of course, to give the Eagles a 3 point lead. Sacramento State had a chance to tie the game but turned the ball over on their ensuing inbound play sealing the win for Eastern Washington. They were led by 20 points from Mihk McKinney in their losing effort. The Hornets fall to a game behind in the loss column, while Eastern Washington will move into sole possession of first place with the win.
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