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| Colt Blair scored a career high 22 points including 6 three pointers. |
ST. JOSEPH, MO -- The SBU Bearcats defeated the Missouri Western Griffons, and moved above .500 in MIAA play for the first time this season.
It seemed as though the Bearcats were going to be cold again tonight from the 3-point line. SBU built a small lead in the first half, but without the advantage of many three pointers.
And that’s when Colt Blair started dropping them in.
Blair hit on a career-high 22 points, including 6-9 from the arc, leading SBU to a 81-66 victory.
Coach Jeff Guiot was impressed with much more than just the way Blair shot tonight.
“Colt had a great game tonight. He’s been here two years. The other guys respect him. He’s one of our leaders in the locker room. He got hot – and the team kept going to him. He missed a couple – but kept shooting – which is a sign that he is maturing.”
Jared Young, coming off a 28-point performance on Monday, was only 2-12 from the field tonight. But Young showed his leadership skills by finding other ways to help his team win. He had nine assists, two of which led directly to dunks from Jim Grabowski. Grabowski had 4 dunks in the game, which gave him half of his 16 points.
Coach Guiot made it very clear that he was not disappointed, in the least, with Young’s shooting.
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| Jesus Lopez at the free throw line. |
“Every shot Jared took was a good shot. He just missed them. But he didn’t take a ‘bad shot’ once tonight. We’re to the point where guys don’t care if they score. We’re just playing – as a team – to win. We’re getting better. We’re still working on playing 40 minutes every night. I would say we’re getting 30-32 minutes. But we need 40.”
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| Jason Jemison hit two from long range. |
Matt Rogers had 4 blocks tonight, adding to his MIAA lead. Tonight’s blocks, however, were more than just stats. They came at key times that led directly to SBU possessions and scores.
SBU out-rebounded the Griffons 43-36. They out-shot Western from the field 44.4% to 40.0%. And from the 3-point line: 37% to 20%.
The Bearcats improved their record to 11-7, and moved to 5-4 in the MIAA. They are now tied for 4th place with Truman State.
SBU’s next game is on the road with Northwest Missouri State on Saturday, January 27. Tipoff is at 7:30.
Final Stats
