Pioneers control boards, down Walters St 68-61
Thanksgiving break for the Pioneer men's basketball team is going to be a little more enjoyable after picking up their sixth win in a row taking down perennial powerhouse Walters State Community College 68-61 on Tuesday night in Bridges Arena.
Walters State (5-2) arrived 35 minutes before tip-off and never seemed to get in a rhythm. But the way the Pioneer's have been playing it didn't matter if the Senators arrived in time for lunch.
Mario Pendarvis led four Pioneer starters in double figures with 14 points and seven rebounds. Dajohn Rowland (13 points) hit four treys in the second half. Jalen Nesbitt notched his first career double double with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Freshman - Travis Black dropped 12 points and had seven assists.
Tracey Ingram also had a solid night coming off the bench with six points.
"Walters state is one of the best rebounding teams that we will face this year. They do a great job of offensive rebounding. I think we rebounded and battled on the boards just enough to give us a chance to get the win.""said head coach Jeff Brookman
"Jalen did a great job of rebounding on both ends of the floor."
The Pioneers(6-1) led 27-23 at the half and once again the Pioneers came out of the locker room on fire, increasing their lead from four to nine. "Winning the first three or four minutes of the half is key for us every night. said Brookman" Early in the second half Rowland got his smooth stroke going and nailed 4 three pointers.
"Dajohn gave us a huge lift offensively in the second half. He hit some huge three point shots at key times during the game."
SMC has now won six games in a row and look to get a little rest in during Thanksgiving break and will return to action on November 30th versus Catawba Valley Community College.
"The six game win streak is a testament to the hard work that the guys have put in during the early season. However, we still must continue to get better everyday and to stay focused on the next game. If we get too caught up patting ourselves on the back, then it will not be a winning streak much longer."
