BLINN MEN’S BASKETBALL IMPROVES TO 3-0 WITH A WIN OVER SOUTHERN ARKANSAS TECH
Story by Joe Alberico, Blinn College Sports Information
While Southern Arkansas University Tech relied on 3-pointers Monday night, the Blinn College men’s basketball team leaned heavily on its own gameplan.
In the end, the Buccaneers proved themselves masterful tacticians.
Blinn overcame 14 3-pointers and the Rockets’ nine-point first-half lead with steady ball movement, transition offense, and points in the paint en route to an 89-78 victory at the Kruse Center in Brenham, Texas.
“SAU Tech is a good basketball team, but there came a point where our guys took things up a notch, started guarding them better, and executed our gameplan,” Bucs head coach Scott Schumacher said. “We moved the ball around, which gave us some good looks offensively, and we attacked the basket.”
Blinn (3-0) refused to go blow-for-blow with the Rockets from long distance and instead turned to the speed, scoring, and distribution skills of sophomore guard Dashawn Ceaser and freshman guards Desmeon Jones and Connor Sprattley.
The Bucs made just three treys for the game as they opted for numerous mid-range jumpers and drove the paint for layups.
“Our gameplan will always be to apply pressure on defense, get a rebound and drive to the paint and score,” said Ceaser, who finished with a team-high 18 points. “A shot in the paint is always going to have a higher success rate, so we’re always going to take it when it’s there.”
Trailing 26-17 midway through the first half, the Bucs put their strategy on full display.
Jones stole a Rockets pass and turned it into a fastbreak layup; freshman forward Rollings Kamanda grabbed an offensive rebound and scored on a putback; and Caesar drove the lane and scored on a floater to bring the Bucs within 26-23.
SAU Tech tried to stall the Bucs’ momentum with a 3, but Ceaser got his team rolling again when he was fouled on a layup as he crashed to the hardwood. The shot found its target and Ceaser hit the ensuing free throw to complete the 3-point play.
Freshman forward Anthony Williams followed with a turnaround jumper and a layup; Sprattley knocked down two free throws; Caesar added another 3-point play when he was again fouled on a layup; and freshman guard Brandon Hatcher hit a jumper to complete Blinn’s 23-3 run and give his team a 40-29 advantage with 3:12 left in the half.
The Bucs took a 40-32 lead into the break.
Blinn continued to roll early in the second half and earned its biggest lead of the game when Williams dunked an alley-oop pass from Sprattley for a 55-39 cushion.
The Rockets battled back later in the half and were within 62-56 before Blinn reeled off a 14-6 run to keep the visitors at bay.
“It was a tough one to pull out, but we listened to coach Schumacher,” Williams said. “SAU Tech was speeding up the game and shooting tons of 3s, and coach told us to slow things down, play at our pace, move the ball, and attack with our speed when the opportunities were there, and that’s what we did.”
Williams finished with 17 points, Jones added 15, and Sprattley tacked on 14. Freshman guard/forward Ian Sedah added nine points while Hatcher finished with eight.
Blinn’s season continues when it hosts the University of Arkansas-Cossatot in their Blue Bell Classic opener at 7 p.m. on Friday at the Kruse Center. The Bucs will then conclude the Classic against Dallas College Cedar Valley at 3 p.m. on Saturday.