Mens Basketball
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MBB Squeaks Past Randall To Go 6-0

Hot Springs, Ark.

The Champion Christian College Tigers were able to defeat the short handed Randall University Saints 93-86, moving to 6-0 against the NCCAA DII level. It was a very balanced attack from the Tigers on the offensive end, with 8 players scoring 8 or more points. The Tigers were able to shoot an incredible 58% from the field, but poor shooting from 3 (27%) and turnovers (21) really hurt the team from scoring much more. 

This game was a bittersweet victory, as the Saints were coached by Champion graduate Jesse Byrd. A 4 year player for the Champion Tigers in college, and then a coach for 5 years, Jesse left this summer to take over the Randall program in Oklahoma City, and he had the Saints ready to play from the tip. Playing with a short handed team for various reasons, the Saints came out hot and took their largest lead of the game with 11:02 left in the first half, leading 20-14. That lead didn't last long, as a 3 pointer by Ariyon Williams, 2 back to back dunks by Keyshaun Scott, and a dunk by Malik Laurent got the Tigers back in front by 3. The lead changed a couple times as the clock wound down in the first half, but some big time finishes and 6 points straight by freshman Arlon Jenkins took the Tigers into half up by 7, with the score being 47-40.

In the second half, fans saw much of the same in the contest as the Tigers never could pull away from the pesky Saints. Champion never gave up the lead, sitting between 4 and 11 points ahead the entire half. Some extremely timely buckets from Marcus Blakely and Kyle Malone when the game got close continued to give the Tigers some breathing room, and big time shots from senior Zo Capaci kept the Tigers up front. Zo's 18 points on the night would end up being his career high at Champion. The Tigers were able to hit their free throws late in the game to ice it, walking away with a hard earned win.

Some notable performances from the game:

Ariyon Williams - 19 points, 4 assists, 6 rebounds on 6/11 from the field and 40% for 3

Zo Capaci - 18 points, 2 assists, 4 rebounds on 6/8 from the field and 4/6 for 3

Braylon Hawkins - 14 points, 2 assists, 10 rebounds on 5/9 from the field 

Arlon Jenkins - 9 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds on 4/4 from the field 

Keyshaun Scott - 9 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks on 4/5 from the field

Marcus Blakely - 8 points, 3 rebounds 

Kyle Malone - 8 points, 4 rebounds 

Malik Laurent - 8 points, 5 rebounds on 75% from the field

Next up for the Tigers : Going for 5 wins in a row, on Friday, January 28th, The Champion Christian College Tigers take on College of the Ozarks at home at 7:30 pm.