Bahamian collegiate basketball players experienced action over the weekend and finished with mixed results as they continue conference play in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I.
Franco Miller Jr. and the Florida Gulf Coast University Eagles (9-6, 4-4 ASUN) won both Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) home games on Friday and Saturday against the University of North Alabama Lions (10-6, 6-4 ASUN). Both games were played at the Alico Arena in Fort Myers, Florida.
The Eagles won 69-60 on Saturday and 86-60 on Friday. Miller had a better production in the game on Friday night when he finished with nine points, three rebounds and four assists in 23 minutes of play. He also had one steal. The Grand Bahamian shot 3-for-7 from the field and was 3-for-4 from the charity stripe.
On Saturday night, Miller finished with four points, a team-high eight rebounds and one assist. He shot 1-for-4 from the field and went a perfect 2-for-2 from the free throw line in 21 minutes of play. The guard also picked up two steals.
The Eagles played some tough defense on both nights to hold the Lions to just 60 points in each game. On Friday, the Eagles held the Lions to just 34.2 percent shooting from the field. On Saturday, the Eagles held the Lions to 36.4 percent shooting from the field.
With these two victories, the Eagles have won three of their last four games. They will look to make it four straight when they play Kennesaw State University (KSU) this coming Friday and Saturday at the KSU Convocation Center in Kennesaw, Georgia. The Friday game starts at 6 p.m. and the Saturday game gets underway at 4 p.m.
It was ‘Upset Thursday’ for the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) Lady Rebels (8-7, 2-7 SEC) as they took down the nationally number 14 ranked University of Kentucky Wildcats (13-5, 6-4 SEC), 72-60, in a huge Southeastern Conference (SEC) game on their home court at the Pavilion in Oxford, Mississippi. The Rebels are coached by Bahamian Yolett ‘Coach Yo’ McPhee-McCuin, while Bahamian Valerie Nesbitt has started the last four games for them, and six out of the last seven, at the point guard position.
Nesbitt converted 4-of-5 shots from the field to finish the game with nine points. She also had three assists and three rebounds in 19 minutes of play.
McPhee-McCuin has been vocal about her team’s late game woes and mental toughness over the past few games, narrowly losing. On Thursday, she said she was proud of the young ladies as they hung in there until the end.
“… Extremely grateful for the win, extremely grateful for our players having resilience and not breaking,” said McPhee-McCuin. “I thought that they put together 40 minutes. We knew we were close because we had put together 25 minutes, and then 30 minutes, and then at LSU (Louisiana State University), we put together 39 minutes, so the focus for the last couple days was just on finishing, and I thought we did a good job of that tonight (Thursday).”
The Rebels used a 24-12 second-quarter advantage and held on for the win. They held the Wildcats to just 31.8 percent shooting from the field. The Rebels were also busy on the boards as they won that battle 49-34.
It was the Rebels’ first home win against a ranked opponent since December 14, 2016, when they took down then-nationally number 25 ranked University of Oregon Ducks 83-67.
Next up for the Rebels will be an away matchup against the University of Alabama Crimson Tide on Thursday at 7 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST). The game will be played at the Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
It was a tough outing for Kai Jones and the nationally number six ranked Texas Longhorns (11-5, 5-5 Big 12) as they fell 75-67 in a double-overtime thriller to the Oklahoma State University Cowboys (11-5, 5-4 Big 12) on Saturday afternoon at the Gallagher-Iba Arena in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
It was the third consecutive loss for the Longhorns and fourth in their last five games.
Jones fell one rebound short of a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds. The forward/center finished 3-for-5 from the field and 4-for-6 from the charity stripe. He knocked down his only three point shot. Jones did his damage in 22 minutes of play before fouling out late in the second overtime period. The tall and agile player made his first basket – a layup at the 12:37 mark of the first half to give his team a 12-10 lead. The Longhorns were down 35-29 at the half before battling back in the second half. However, a 10-2 scoring edge by the Cowboys in the second overtime session was enough to give them the win. The Longhorns could not find the bottom of the net, as they were 0-for-9 from the field in the second overtime session.
Jones and the Longhorns will head to Manhattan, Kansas, to face Kansas State University in a Big 12 matchup tonight. Tip-off is at 8 p.m.
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source https://thenassauguardian.com/mixed-results-for-bahamians-in-the-ncaa/
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