MBK’S Slow Start Leads to Road Loss
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Virgin Islands (0-1, 0-1) | 18 | 33 | 51 |
|
Morris (1-0, 1-0) | 30 | 30 | 60 |
SUMTER, S.C. A slow start and poor shooting stood in the way of the University of the Virgin Islands Men's Basketball Team and a win in the season opener against Morris College. Instead, the Hornets defeated the Buccaneers, 60-51, in Continental Athletic Conference Friday evening.
The Buccaneers were much better in the second half when they outscored Morris, 33-30, than the first half when they trailed 30-18 entering halftime. In the nine-point game, UVI struggled mightily from the charity stripe (10-of-26; 39 percent) and from beyond the arc (1-of-13; 8 percent on three-pointers).
Will Boyd had a double-double of 15 rebounds (five offensive boards) and 12 points and Jamal Norris had a team-high 18 points.
THE ESSENTIALS
Final Score: Morris College def. University of the Virgin Islands, 60-51
Records: UVI Men's 0-1; Morris Men's 1-0
Location: Garrick-Boykin Human Development Center; Sumter, S.C.
Date: October 29, 2021
HOW IT HAPPENED
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Trailing 32-18 early in the second frame, the Buccaneers finally woke up with a 12-0 run. LiWayne Richardson had five of the 12 points before Norris grabbed an offensive rebound off his own miss and made the field goal to cut the deficit to 32-30.
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UVI shot better from the field (20-of-48; 42 percent) than the Hornets (22-of-63; 35 percent) but Morris hit 9 threes, compared to the Buccaneers' one by Norris.
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That three, with an assist from Jaren Johnson moved the score to 41-37 with under 10 minutes to go. After a Richardson free throw made it 41-38, the Hornets went on a 9-0 run to take a 50-38 lead two and a half minutes later.
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Norris scored eight straight points for UVI as the Buccaneers attempted to stage a late rally. Norris scored 14 of his 18 total in the second half. He improved from a 2-of-9 first half to 4-of-8 on field goals in the final 20 minutes.
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A Boyd basket made it a 22-18 game and then UVI went cold for the last 4:24 of the half as the Hornets scored the final 8 points for the 30-18 intermission lead.
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It was a very sluggish start for the Buccaneers as UVI found itself trailing 17-5 nine minutes into the game. Richardson finally got the Buccaneers going as UVI scored on four straight possessions to whittle down the deficit to 19-14. Field goals from Norris and Johnson followed directly after Richardson's.
STAT FACTS
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UVI outrebounded Morris, 47-32. Johnson had 13 rebounds, the second-most in the game. He also added five points. Norris contributed five boards.
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Richardson finished with 11 points, four rebounds, and two steals. Chris Williams had five points, four boards, and two steals on his stat sheet.
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Of the 20 made field goals by the Buccaneers, only five were assisted. For comparison's sake, Morris earned 12 assists on 22 buckets.
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UVI committed 23 turnovers to the Hornets' 17. Morris turned those mistakes into 17 points. Chris Morris had a game-high 19 for the Hornets.
UP NEXT
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The Buccaneers and Hornets return to action on Saturday at 4 p.m. in conference play.
- Up next for UVI is the inaugural UVI HBCU Basketball Classic. November 3rd is the first day of the tournament and UVI hosts Wilberforce University at 8:30 p.m. in the designated "Hall of Fame Game."
