Scots can’t slow hot-shooting Bobcats
Lyon Sports
John Krueger, Director of Sports Information
POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. – The College of the Ozarks Bobcats connected on a blistering 58.3% (14-of-24) from the field Wednesday night as they built a 13-point halftime lead and then held off the Lyon College men’s basketball team in the second half for an 83-65 victory in Keeter Gymnasium.
The Bobcats finished the game hitting 54.7% (29-of-53) from the field, compared to Lyon’s 42.9% (21-of-49), to complete the season sweep of the Scots. The College of the Ozarks won the season opener in Batesville, 72-65, and now lead the all-time series, 10-1.
WHERE THEY STAND
Lyon, which had recently won 5-of-6, dropped its second straight contest since that point and now stands at 10-9 on the season. The Bobcats improved to 14-7 on the year, posting their fifth straight victory and ninth win in their last 10 contests.
BY THE NUMBERS
19 – Lyon College’s Spencer Brown came off the bench to tie a personal career high with 19 points. He also dropped in 19 points earlier this season against Bacone College. Brown cashed in 7-of-9 field goals and 5-of-9 from the line. Braden Wendel also scored in double figures, finishing with 14 points, to go along with six rebounds and a steal. Joe Burt pumped in 11 points and Tyler Robinson dumped in eight points and chipped in five boards.
21 – Three Bobcats scored over 15 points apiece in the game. Ethan Davidson led all scorers with 21 points, cashing in 7-of-9 field goals and 3-of-4 behind the three-point line. He also added seven boards, three assists and a pair of blocked shots. Kiefer Starbird posted a double-double, with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Cameron Paschke scored 16 points and added four assists.
29 – The two squads combined for 29 turnovers in the game, with Lyon accumulating 16 and the Bobcats posting 13. College of Ozarks scored 19 points off turnovers, while the Scots had 15.
44 – The two teams combined for 44 bench points. Lyon had 23 points from its reserves, while CofO bench players scored 21.
1 – The Bobcats edged Lyon in the rebounding department, posting 32. Lyon had more offensive boards, securing seven, compared to just four for College of the Ozarks.
0 – Trailing by 13 points at the half, Lyon couldn’t count on its three-point shooting to get the Scots back in the game in the final 20 minutes. After hitting 2-of-4 behind the arc in the first 20 minutes, Lyon missed all six treys in the final half. Lyon finished the game shooting 20% (2-of-10) from behind the line, while the Bobcats sank 8-of-21 (38.1%).
GAME FLOW
College of the Ozarks opened the contest by scoring 10 of the first 12 points to take an eight-point lead with 3:54 gone the opening period. But later in the half, Lyon answered the opening run with a 10-2 spurt of its own over a span of 4:31 to pull within 15-14 with 9:15 left in the half.
The Scots, who only led once (2-0) in the game, kept the score close until the Bobcats stretched their advantage to 32-21 with 2:50 left in the half with an 8-2 burst. They led 40-27 at the break.
Lyon was only able to trim the lead under 10 points on two occasions early in the second half. College of the Ozarks went on a 14-4 run midway through the second half to stretch the lead past 20 points for the first time and led 68-46 with 8:58 showing on the clock.
The Scots never cut the deficit under 16 points the rest of the way.
WHAT’S AHEAD FOR THE SCOTS
The Scots will now open a three-game homestand on Saturday when Lyon hosts AMC foe Park University in the annual Coaches vs. Cancer contest in James C. Becknell Gymnasium at 3 p.m.