Greyhounds Drop Close One to Itawamba
Leading by six points at the half, the Greyhounds just couldn't finish off the visitors, dropping a 58-51 decision to Itawamba Community College Saturday at The Dog House.
Leading by six points at the half, the Greyhounds just couldn't finish off the visitors, dropping a 58-51 decision to the Itawamba Community College Indians Saturday at The Dog House.
Using a staunch defense to hold the visitors to just 20 points in the first 20 minutes, ASU Mid-South led 26-20 at the half. But the Indians responded in the second half by knocking down five three-pointers and then executed down the stretch to take the win.
The Greyhounds trailed by as many as seven points, 52-45 with 5:38 remaining, but the Greyhounds wouldn't give up as they cut the lead to 52-49 with less than three minutes to go. But Itawamba forced two tough shots and then got two turnovers in the next four possessions while hitting a jumper and 4-of-7 free throws to help stretch the lead to the final count.
ASU Mid-South shot 42.3% from the field to Itawamba's 40.4%, shot just a bit better at the free throw line, and won the battle of the boards 40-37. But 16 Greyhound turnovers to just 10 for the Indians combined with ASU Mid-South failing to hit a three-pointer for the first time since January, 2015, didn't help the cause.
Jailen Anderson led all scorers with 16 points while Jeremiah Jones finished with 10 points and a team-high 6 rebounds. And despite returning All-American Sam Smith still sidelined with a broken foot, freshman Braxtyn McCuien made his college debut with 8 points on 3-of-4 shooting, 2 rebounds, 2 steals and 3 blocked shots. The Greyhounds fall to 4-5 on the season with four of five losses to four NJCAA Division I programs with a combined record of 32-6 and the other loss in overtime to Dallas College-North Lake, currently ranked third in the nation in NJCAA Division III. ASU Mid-South also has yet to play a game this season with its full team intact due to health reasons.
Next up is a rematch with Dyersburg State Community College (10-1) who defeated the Greyhounds 73-60 December 1 in Dyersburg, Tennessee. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:00pm Saturday, December 11, at The Dog House. Tickets can be purchased at the following link: