Bench sparks Roadrunners to victory

Sedalia, Mo.-The State Fair Community College (SFCC) Roadrunners men's basketball team picked up their fourth consecutive victory with a 91-57 win over the Missouri Valley College Junior Varsity on Friday Nov. 21 inside the Fred E. Davis Multipurpose Center.

SFCC (7-4) trailed 6-0 with less than three minutes gone in the opening half. The Roadrunners answered with an 8-0 run to take the lead with about 15 minutes left in the half.

The Roadrunners went to a trapping defense to turn up the defensive intensity and changed the momentum of the game. SFCC led 42-37 at halftime and never looked back.

"I thought our bench came in and gave us gave us great energy in the first half," said Roadrunners head coach Jeremy Jackson. "That's why I started them in the second half. They showed they wanted to go out there and prove something together. I love to see the camaraderie, along with the energy they brought to the game. I thought our length overall caused them some problems."

Sophomore guard Gavin Q Murphy of Calabasas, Calif. led a balanced scoring attack with 18 points including four made three-point shots, and a team-high four assists. Murphy also led the team in steals with four. Freshman wing Da'Ron Hall registered a double-double with 16 points and a team-high 10 rebounds. Hall also led the team in blocked shots with two. Sophomore forward Ibraheem Sylla of Denver, Colo. pitched in with 12 points. Freshman wing JP Ndong of Germany/Senegal added 11 points.

"I was proud of our whole team," said Jackson. "I thought our whole team did a good job of getting better tonight, especially in the second half. I'm happy to see that we wanted to stick with what we do."

SFCC will return to action on Monday, Nov. 24 with a game against Neosho County Community College. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. from the Fred E. Davis Multipurpose Center.

David Rohrbach

SFCC Athletics