Final Night time in Faculty Basketball: McNeese Grabs Share of Southland Convention Lead

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Don't fret, we're right here that will help you work out what you missed however should not have. Listed here are all the very best moments from final night time in faculty basketball.

McNeese takes likelihood to point out what it will probably do It was an abbreviated night time for school basketball on Monday after a jam-packed weekend the place it appeared like each crew performed. So, will probably be an abbreviated Final Night time in Faculty Basketball, as effectively, however this doesn’t imply there wasn’t something price recapping. As an illustration, McNeese is a crew you don’t get to listen to about all that always, because it so usually performs when ranked faculties are doing their factor, however is a reasonably good squad itself. McNeese is forty eighth within the NCAA Analysis Instrument after Monday’s win over Nicholls State, a leap of 4 spots that landed them within the prime 50, whereas KenPom’s rankings put them at 68th. Both method, that’s a doable tourney crew at these numbers, and that’s with out declaring that it’s now tied for first within the Southland Convention at 7-1, together with Nicholls and Stephen F. Austin.

Neither of Nicholls nor SFA rank wherever close to McNeese in NET — Nicholls is at 184, SFA at 96 — so conserving tempo within the convention is vital. And McNeese did that on Monday by taking pictures 52% — together with 11-for-23 from deep — whereas limiting the Colonels’ offense. Nicholls hit loads from deep — 12-for-33 — however shot simply 41% total and couldn’t compete within the paint, the place it was outscored by a dozen.

Freshman guard Larry Johnson was the standout for McNeese, with 24 factors on 9-for-16 taking pictures and 10 rebounds — each sport highs — in simply 23 minutes. The bench offered all the extra insurance coverage that was wanted, with a trio of gamers — sophomore ahead Jacold Fredson-Cole, junior guard Tyshawn Archie and senior guard DJ Richards — scoring 11, 13 and 20 factors, respectively. The outcome? McNeese routed its convention rivals, 94-68.

Missouri’s taking pictures retains them from ranked upset The aforementioned abbreviated schedule was very true on the ladies’s aspect, the place there was a single faculty basketball sport yesterday, with No. 21 Alabama visiting unranked bubble crew Missouri.

There, Tigers’ junior guard Grace Slaughter did the whole lot she might to drive an upset over Bama, scoring a 23 factors — tied for the game-high with Alabama’s senior guard Karly Weathers — on 10-for-18 taking pictures with a game-best 9 rebounds, and a steal and block every in a full 40 minutes. It wasn’t sufficient, nonetheless, due to poor taking pictures from the remainder of Missouri. Whereas Slaughter shot 56% for the night time, the remainder of her crew went simply 12-for-40, or 30%, and even an excellent defensive effort concerning the Tide isn’t going to do it when that’s the case.

Junior guard Abbey Schreake did her half on 4-for-7 taking pictures from past the arc for 12 factors, however fellow junior guard Shannon Dowell scored 10 factors on 18 photographs — 3-for-13 for the night time — sophomore guard Chloe Sotell went 0-for-5 with three missed threes, and senior ahead Jordana Reisma managed 8 factors on 2-for-6 taking pictures thanks to creating 3-of-4 from the road. With nobody on the bench stepping as much as fill in for the three starters who couldn’t appear to shoot, Missouri couldn’t put collectively the sustained assault essential to down Alabama.

The Tide’s true benefit, past the taking pictures woes of the Tigers, was their dominance of the paint. Alabama scored 42 factors there in comparison with Missouri’s 26, and between that and holding onto the ball — the Tide turned the ball over simply 3 times, whereas conversely their senior guard Ta’Mia Scott picked up 5 steals all on her personal — Missouri needed to be excellent to win. And it wasn’t, so, Bama gained, 74-63.

New Orleans slips by Southeastern Louisiana There are two issues you may level to when determining how New Orleans defeated Southeastern Louisiana, 79-76, on Monday. One is the defensive effort of junior heart Churchill Abass, who made his presence felt within the paint with 8 rebounds — 6 of them defensive boards — a Division I-high of 5 blocks, and 11 factors. Then there was senior guard Coleton Benson placing the Privateers on his again on offense: he scored 30 of their 79 factors on 8-for-18 taking pictures whereas nailing 4 3-pointers and 10-of-11 free throws, together with a 3 with simply 2 seconds left on the clock to place New Orleans forward for good.

Benson is the crew’s main scorer, however he’s not normally that degree of offensive drive. For the season, even together with Monday, he’s scoring 15.8 per sport, simply the best of the Texas State switch’s profession. Every now and then, he goes off, nonetheless: this 30-point outburst is definitely his second-highest level complete of the yr, behind the 33 he dropped on Tulane on Nov. 14.

Ruffin led D-I in factors and assists in shootout… loss Jackson State guard Daeshun Ruffin had himself a sport on Monday, main Division I basketball in each factors and assists. The senior put up 39 factors on 13-for-29 taking pictures whereas going 11-for-12 from the road, and added 10 assists and three rebounds to that, as effectively. And, regardless of really getting fairly a little bit of assist from his teammates — three different Tigers scored not less than 11 factors, whereas 4 others outrebounded him — it wasn’t sufficient to defeat Alabama A&M on this SWAC matchup.

That’s as a result of nobody on Jackson State appeared able to stopping the Bulldogs’ personal offensive assault. Alabama A&M shot 52% as a crew, 29-for-56, and sank 34 free throws in 43 makes an attempt, as effectively. That form of efficiency isn’t shocking, as Jackson State has allowed opponents to shoot 48.7% for the season, the Tenth-worst price amongst all 365 Division I males’s groups, whereas permitting a mean of 89.4 factors per sport. Per KenPom’s Defensive Ranking, Jackson State permits 115.4 factors per 100 possessions, placing them 315th. That’s not fairly as dangerous because the taking pictures share, however it’s nonetheless backside tier, and it sank them as soon as once more on Monday.

Alabama’s Kintavious Dozier was the first downside for Jackson State defenders, because the senior guard scored 31 factors of his personal to principally counter the efficiency of Ruffin, whereas each different Bulldogs’ starter scored between 11 and 15 factors and junior guard Gabe Kincy chipped in one other 12 off the bench in 19 minutes. Senior ahead PJ Eason managed a double-double with 12 factors and boards a chunk, and Alabama A&M would win, 100-91, due to this team-wide effort.

A profitable substitute Malek Abdelgowad crashed the boards final night time, with the fifth-year ahead from Southern knocking down a Division I-high 18 rebounds to go along with 21 factors, 2 assists, 3 steals and a block. Abdelgowad, who performed his first two years in juco earlier than shifting to Murray State in 2023, then Massachusetts the next season earlier than transferring to Southern this yr, is getting his first actual style of taking part in time, and the outcomes have been good. His 19.3 minutes per sport are a career-high — he’s nonetheless principally coming off the bench — however in that quick time he’s averaging a career-high 7.4 rebounds and 12.4 factors per sport.

On Monday, Southern ran him on the market for 36 minutes regardless of not beginning the sport — he was filling in for senior ahead Terrance Dixon, who began and performed one minute earlier than exiting for the period — and the outcomes converse for themselves. The Jaguars defeated Bethune-Cookman, 77-73, with Abdelgowad main the crew with a game-high 21 factors — 9 of which got here from the road — and people 18 boards, slightly below half of what Bethune-Cookman managed as a crew.

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