Grizzlies move to 2-0 with 67-55 win over WTAMU

MVP Hampton, Charles, Jr. named to All-Grizzly Tip-Off Classic Team

Larry Charles, Jr. scored a game-high 18 points and was named to the Grizzly Tip-Off Classic All-Tournament team.

ALAMOSA, Colo.— The Adams State College men’s basketball team shot a solid 60.0 percent in the second half as all-tournament team selections Larry Charles, Jr. (Tucson, Ariz.) and Rece Hampton (Greenwood, Miss.) led the Grizzlies past West Texas A&M University, 67-55 in the final game of the Grizzly Tip-Off Classic, Saturday night in Plachy Hall.

The victory allowed the Grizzlies to complete the weekend with a 2-0 mark and the unofficial tournament title. WTAMU, led by 14 Kyle Shields points and another 13 from all-tournament team selection Andre Hill fell to 1-1.

Charles, Jr. finished the night with 18 points while Hampton, the tournament’s most valuable player, finished just one rebound shy of a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds, five of which were offensive. He was a perfect 5-for-5 from the field after scoring 27 points in ASC’s 81-72 Friday night win over North Dakota.

The Grizzlies led by just 31-29 at halftime and trailed by one (39-38) after the Buffs hit back-to-back 3-pointers around a Hampton jumper. However, the WTAMU lead was short-lived as Hampton dunked home a Travis Carr (Canon City, Colo.) assist to give the Grizzlies the lead for good with 16:24 to go.

ASC built that lead to six before a Shields trey cut it down to just one, once again.

Then, with 10:46 left, Carr started a 14-2 Grizzly explosion that put the home team ahead 61-48 with 6:19 to go. The Grizzlies had six different players score in that spurt.

The Grizzlies were never challenged again and finished the night shooting 49.0 percent (24-49) from the field. They also got to the line 24 times to aid the cause. The Buffs shot a respectable 44.8 percent (13-29) in the first half to keep the game close but struggled in the second stanza hitting just 9 of 26 (34.6 percent) shots.

ASC, off to a 2-0 start for the first time since 2003, played comfortably with the lead for most of the night and trailed just twice for a total of 80 seconds and never by more than a single point.

The game was a battle between two teams that made the NCAA Tournament last year. The Buffs were tabbed 22nd in the D-II Bulletin Preseason Top 25 and were picked to finish second in the Lone Star Conference's South Division. The Grizzlies, under the direction of new head coach Mark Murdock, were picked just fifth in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference's West Division despite winning their first RMAC West title last year.

For the second straight night, the Grizzlies had four players in double figures as Carr and Vitor de Zoppa (Sorocaba, Sao Paulo, Brazil) had 11 points each. Tyler Cooper was also in double-figures for the Buffs as he tallied 11.

In earlier action, the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs Mountain Lions withstood a strong University of North Dakota comeback to score a 99-91 overtime win. Mountain Lion guard Nic Fuller scored 34 points on a 9 of 12 shooting effort to lead the way. He also recorded seven steals and six assists while hitting 13 of 14 free throws.

The Mountain Lions, now 1-1 on the season, shot 86.8 percent (33-38) from the line and 53.7 percent (29-54) from the field.

The Fighting Sioux, who dropped to 0-2, also had hot hands as they shot 50.0 percent (30-60) from the field and 91.7 percent (22-24) from the charity stripe.

The biggest of those free throws came at the end of regulation as Ervin Youmans sunk three in a row with only himself at the key after he drew a Fuller foul at the buzzer. Those free throws capped a Sioux comeback from as many as 12 points down in the second half.

UND also struck first in the overtime as Emmanuel Little scored 33 second into the period before the Mountain Lions hit five of six free throws to take a 87-84 lead with 3:12 to go.

O.J. Harrison answered back for UND with a jumper to cut the deficit to one before the Mountain Lions scored six straight points to put the game away.

Fuller and Kyle Perkins, who had 13 points, were named to the all-tournament team for the Mountain Lions while Youmans scored 26 points to earn the same honor.

Little added 18 for UND, which had five players in double figures.

The Grizzlies now prepare for a monstrous challenge as they will face the University of Arizona on Wednesday night in Tucson, Ariz. The Division I Wildcats are currently ranked 17th in both the Associated Press Top 25 and the ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ Poll.

That game, which can be heard live on KSPK-FM (103.5 & 104.1 in Alamosa) and via the internet at www.kspk.com, will be a homecoming for Charles, Jr., a 2003 graduate of Cienega High School.

Grizzly Tip-Off Classic Scores

Friday, November 16
West Texas A&M 80, UC-Colorado Springs 78
Adams State 81, North Dakota 72

Saturday, November 17
UC-Colorado Springs 99, North Dakota 91 (Overtime)
Adams State 67, West Texas A&M 55

All-Tournament Team
MVP- Rece Hampton, Adams State
Larry Charles, Jr., Adams State
Nic Fuller, UC-Colorado Springs
Andre Hill, West Texas A&M
Kyle Perkins, UC-Colorado Springs
Ervin Youmans, North Dakota

Related Item: Adams State-West Texas A&M Box Score
Related Item: UC-Colorado Springs-North Dakota Box Score
Related Item: Final Tournament Statistics