Basketball (Men's)
‘Cats Fall By Single Point In Opener vs Drury
By
Nov 18, 2006, 23:53

BOLIVAR, MO – A new season started Saturday night for the SBU Bearcats. As was often the case last year, a home game at the Meyer Sports Center meant a tightly contested battle. But the Bearcats were unable to come out on top in this season's opener, falling to local rival Drury, 80-79. SBU led by as much as 13 in the second half, but the Panthers tied the game at the 5:19 mark, setting up the thrilling finish where the lead changed hands ten times.

Drury’s Chris Ijames hit a jumper to put the Panthers up by one with 22 seconds left. SBU took two timeouts before their final shot attempt, an lob pass from freshman Kendall Frantz to Matt Rogers that was picked off by Ijames under the basket. Ijames missed both free throws on the other end, but Drury grabbed the rebound to claim the victory.

Drury charged out to an 8-0 lead behind three-pointers from Jason Jones and Steven Gum. The Bearcats clawed back, taking their first lead at 22-20 at the 8:16 mark on a jumper from senior transfer Jared Young. The Bearcats would hold a 34-31 lead at halftime.

Freshman Matt Rogers starts off the 2006-07 SBU Bearcat season.

SBU was hot to start the second half, building up their lead to 54-41 behind treys from Bolivar High School products Jim Grabowski and Colt Blair. It was then the Panthers’ turn to come back. Drury chipped away at the lead, withstanding a furious defensive sequence by Bearcat big men Matt Rogers and Grabowski. The two blocked four Drury shots in less than 30 seconds, but DU’s Brandon Kimbrough dropped home a three-pointer as the shot clock wound down, cutting the lead to two.

Drury would later take the lead at 68-67 on two Kimbrough free throws. The final minutes of the game were a back-and-forth affair. Jared Young nailed a long ball to put SBU up at 74-71 but the Panthers’ Steven Gum answered back with a three of his own. Kimbrough put Drury back on top by two, but Jason Jemison would give SBU the lead again on another three-pointer. DU’s Collins Harris and SBU’s Grabowski would trade buckets before Ijames would hit his shot from 15 feet to give the Panthers their final lead.

Jemison led the Bearcats with 21 points.  Grabowski would add 17 while Young finished with 12 and Rogers added 11 points and seven rebounds. SBU shot nearly 50% from the field but converted on just 10 of 33 three-point attempts. The Bearcats shot just seven times from the foul line, compared to 28 times for the Panthers. They also turned the ball over 18 times in the game, including several down the stretch as they battled to hold the lead.

Brandon Kimbrough led Drury with 17 points and 8 rebounds. Steven Gum also had 15 points for the Panthers.

SBU Head Coach Jeff Guiot commented that both teams competed well. "Turnovers killed us,” he said. He added that his team’s guard play has to get better.

SBU is back in action on Tuesday night, November 21. The Bearcats will host Missouri Baptist in an 8 p.m. tipoff.

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