Mens Basketball
|

Champion MBB Defeat NCCAA D1 Opponent

Hot Springs, Ark.

Champion Christian College defeats NCCAA D1 opponent College of the Ozarks 76-65, led by a balanced attack from AJ Williams, Braylon Hawkins, Kyle Malone, and Keyshaun Scott. This win moves the the Tigers to 7-9, and makes the win streak now 5. 

In the first half, it did not look good for Champion, as they could not buy a bucket early on. A 32% shooting percentage, and 17% for 3. The Tigers were getting great looks, but nothing would fall. On the other end, the Bobcats were firing on all cylinders, shooting 53% from the field and 44% for 3. A very active offense, fueled by cuts and off ball screens, gave the Tigers switching defense trouble early on, as Champion struggled to switch and gave up a lot of points on easy looks. Your hometown Tigers found themselves down 36-27 at the half, their lowest scoring half of the season.

Mo Capaci again must have had a half time speech for the ages, because the Champion Tigers came out looking like a different team. Energized on the defensive end, the Tigers were able to force 18 turnovers, 11 in the second half, and the transition buckets gave the team a much needed confidence boost going forward. After a steal and 2 points by Braylon Hawkins with 14 minutes left in the game, Champion never looked back, leading the rest of the way. It was close until the very end, but an offensive put back by Malik Laurent, followed by a steal and a Keyshaun Scott 3 with 4 minutes to go sealed the deal.

The Tigers would end the second half winning 49-29, their best defensive half of the season. Offensively in the second half, Champion would shoot a much improved 44% from the field, and the Tigers came up huge from the charity stripe, going 13/14 to seal the deal. The energy in the Champion Community Center was rocking all day, and were so thankful for the Tiger faithful who show out every home game.

Some notable performances from tonight's game:

Kyle Malone - 15 points on 5/11 shooting

Keyshaun Scott - 10 points, 6 rebounds, 5 steals, 67% from the field

AJ Williams - 21 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists

Braylon Hawkins - 13 points, 9 rebounds, 50% from the field