Bobcats Hold Off Pioneers Behind Jingco's Sharp Shooting
It was the third straight region iv game in one week for the Bryant & Stratton College men's basketball team as they went on the road Wednesday night to take on the Prairie State College Pioneers...
WAUWATOSA, WI (November 12, 2018) - It was the third straight region iv game in one week for the Bryant & Stratton College men's basketball team as they went on the road Wednesday night to take on the Prairie State College Pioneers where they earned a 82-81 win.
The victory marked as the Bobcats third consecutive win and improved their record to 8-2 overall.
Leading 43-38 to start the second half, it was the Pioneers who struck first as they bolted out to a 5-2 run in the first minute to trail just 45-44 with 19 minutes left.
Responding to the Pioneers energy, freshman guard, Manny Jingco, knocked down a much needed shot from deep giving the Bobcats a 48-44 edge.
"We fought through a ton of adversity tonight," Bobcats head coach Matt Majkrzak said.
After multiple offensive possessions from both teams, the Bobcats continued to build on their lead as sophmore forward, Kyle McDermed, drilled one from 22 feet giving them a 55-46 advantge with 16 miniutes to go in the game.
Over the next five minutes, Bryant & Stratton went on a 11-6 run when sophomore guard, Joe Duty, gave the Bobcats a 14 point lead (66-52) after a tough reverse layup through traffic with just over 10 minutes remaining. Duty was coming off a season 36 point performance from the prior contest at Black Hawk College.
With six minutes left in the game, it was Jingco again who stayed hot from distance as he sunk another shot from long range to keep the Bobcats ahead by double-digits at 76-64.
"Manny has been waiting to break out," Majkrzak said. "He is a tremendous shooter and the guys do whatever they can to find him when he's open."
Despite the hot shooting by the Bobcats, the Pioneers picked up their play on both sides of the ball as they broke out to a 17-4 run over the course of five minutes taking the lead at 81-80 with just over a minute remaining.
"We lost our intensity on both sides of the ball which allowed them to get back into the game," Majkrzak said. "We pride ourselves on taking care of the ball and it was our turnovers that hurt us tonight."
Trailing by one with 50 seconds left, floor general, Justin Brookens, drilled a jumper from just inside the arc putting the Bobcats back ahead 82-81.
With seven seconds left, the Bobcats held an 82-81 lead. The Pioneers came down the court and missed a layup in the lane as the clock expired allowing the Bobcats to escape with the win.
"I am proud of us getting another win," Majkrzak said. "Justin hit another huge shot to put us over the top."
The Bobcats remain undefeated in region play this season at 7-0. They have won six of their last seven games by three points or less.
Four players scored in double-figures tonight for the Bobcats but it was Jingco who led the way with a season high 29 points on 7-9 shooting from beyond the arc.
Brookens and freshman forward, Chris Thompson, added 15 points each and McDermed followed with 14 of his own.
The Bobcats shot 46% from the field and 38% from long range.
UP NEXT:
Bryant & Stratton will travel to Highland, Illinois this weekend for the Highland Classic as they square off against the NJCAA Division I powerhouse Triton College. Tip-off will take place on Friday at 1:00pm.
The Highland Classic is an annual two day tournament hosted by Highland Community College.
Spectators can view the game live on the OFFICIAL YOUTUBE CHANNEL.