MBK Cannot Shake Slow Start Again In Road Loss
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Virgin Islands (0-1, 0-1) | 18 | 44 | 62 |
|
Morris (1-0, 1-0) | 33 | 35 | 68 |
SUMTER, S.C. The University of the Virgin Islands Men's Basketball Team was undone by another slow start that led to Morris College taking the 68-62 win at home in Continental Athletic Conference Saturday afternoon.
The Buccaneers trailed 33-18 at halftime but outscored Morris, 44-35, in the second half. Trailing 61-44 with 4:09 left on the clock, UVI went on an 8-0 run over the next minute to return the deficit to under two digits. However, a crucial technical foul on the Buccaneers returned momentum to the Hornets in the form of a four-point play.
Will Boyd was gigantic in stature as he recorded a game-high 22 rebounds, including 10 offensive boards, to go along with a team-high 12 points.
THE ESSENTIALS
Final Score: Morris College def. University of the Virgin Islands, 68-62
Records: UVI Men's 0-2; Morris Men's 2-0
Location: Garrick-Boykin Human Development Center; Sumter, S.C.
Date: October 30, 2021
HOW IT HAPPENED
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Down 61-52 with 3:11 remaining in the game, a personal foul, and a technical foul was assessed on UVI and the Hornets made all four free throws while retaining possession.
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Jaren Johnson, via an old-fashioned three-point play and a three-pointer, scored six points for the Buccaneers in the final minute to turn a 68-56 game into a final score of 68-62.
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A 9-2 UVI run that made it a 57-44 game with under six minutes to play was interrupted by a Kelly Alazawishes three. The Hornets' Alazawishes scored or assisted on 15 straight points for Morris. He scored 12 points, including three three-pointers, and assisted on a fourth. In those nearly 10 minutes, the Hornets led by as many as 21 points.
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It took 10 minutes and 26 seconds before Jamari Williams gave the Buccaneers their second made field goal of the day. UVI was trailing 11-3 before Williams' basket. In the next possession, Jamal Norris gave the Bucs their first made three.
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Later in the first half, trailing 21-18, UVI went cold for three minutes as Morris went on a 9-0 run before Denny Gonzalez stopped the run with a three-pointer.
STAT FACTS
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Gonzalez was second on the team with 11 points on four-of-nine shooting and he added four boards, two steals, and an assist. LiWayne Richardson and Norris also scored in double-digits with 10 points each.
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Johnson finished with nine points, three rebounds, and two assists while Jamari Williams' four steals and three assists were a team-high.
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The Buccaneers outrebounded the Hornets, 44-30, resulting in a 17-8 advantage in second-chance points.
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However, Morris had 21 points off 22 UVI turnovers while the Bucs were only able to turn 16 turnovers into 11 points.
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After going 10-of-26 (38.5 percent) from the charity stripe in the season opener, UVI "improved" to 10-of-22 (45.5 percent) on Saturday.
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Alazawishes had a game-high 25 points on 7-of-15 shooting from the field and 4-of-11 from deep. He added seven boards and four steals to his stat sheet.
UP NEXT
- 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."
