Grizzlies use big half-starting runs to down Tigers, 85-72

Sixteen steals help ASC set up Saturday night Bankers Classic Championship

Junior Erick Seaman dunks home two of his 11 points. Seman also had 11 rebounds recording his first double-double as a Grizzly.

Box Score

ALAMOSA, Colo.— A 7-0 run to begin the second half gave the Adams State College men’s basketball team a 12-point lead over visiting Colorado College as the NCAA Division II Grizzlies shot 59.3 percent (16-27) from the field in the second half while cruising to a 85-72 win over the Division III Tigers in the final game of the first day of action at the Adams State Bankers Classic, Friday here in Plachy Hall.

The Grizzlies, who moved to 2-1 overall with the win, had four players in double figures and shot an even 50.0 percent (32-64) from the floor throughout the night.

Senior Sean Amos (Philadelphia, Pa.) and sophomore Seth Heinbaugh (Prescott, Ariz.) scored 15 points each to lead the Grizzlies while junior Erick Seaman (Colorado Springs, Colo.) registered the game’s only double-double with a game-high 11 rebounds and the same number of points.  Seaman, a transfer from DeAnza (Calif.) College, also had four steals and three blocked shots.

Junior point guard Adrian Davis (Lubbock, Texas) was also in double-figures for ASC as he scored 12 points.

The Tigers also had four players in double figures but got just three free throws from the rest of the squad as they fell to 1-2 with their second straight loss.

CC was paced by 25 points from Lance Jacobs, who hit on four of his eight 3-point attempts.  Jarrell Sweet also had a fine night with 19 points, nine assists and four steals but did commit six turnovers in a sloppy game that included 46 total turnovers.

The Grizzlies, who committed 24 of those, jumped out to a 12-0 lead just 3:19 into the contest but allowed the Tigers to get back into the game as Jacobs hit two treys to cut the deficit to just four points (17-13) after a 13-5 extended run.

Grizzly senior Vitor de Zoppa (Sorocaba, Sao Paulo, Brazil) then scored five straight points as the Grizzlies went on another 10-0 run to build the lead back up to double-figures.

However, CC would again close the deficit as a Nick Rose trey and dunk before another Jacobs 3-pointers helped bring the deficit to just 36-31 at half.

Amos then scored four straight points to begin the second half before a Davis 3-ball put the Grizzlies up by a dozen at a Tiger timeout with 18:30 to go.  The Tigers would get no closer than nine points down the rest of the way as the Grizzlies cruised to the victory.

The Grizzlies, who had a significant height advantage, dominated the glass out-rebounding the Tigers 46-31.  They also scored 52 of their points in the paint while the Tigers preferred the outside game hitting six treys while scoring just 28 points inside the key.

The Tigers, who shot just 39.7 percent (25-63) from the field, did have 17 steals as both Sweet and Rose recorded four.  De Zoppa had a game-high five of ASC’s 16, the most a Grizzly squad has registered since Dec. 14, 1996 (18, vs. Metro State)

In the afternoon game, the California State University-Dominguez Hills Toros received 17 points from Jonathan Toliver off the bench and another 14 from Rodney Yearby, who had a double-double with 10 points to defeat the Chadron State College Eagles, 79-75.

The Eagles, who fell to 1-1 on the season, were placed by 32 points from Tim McLaurin, who had 12 from beyond the arc and 10 from the line, where he was perfect.  Marco DeSouza added 11 points for the Eagles.

The Toros, who improved to 2-0 heading into what will be the unofficial championship game against the Grizzlies on Saturday at 8 p.m., trailed by nine (24-15) with 11:33 to go in the first half before going on a 28-7 run the rest of the half to take a 43-31 lead into the break.

They built that cushion to as many as 15 points early in the second half before McLaurin tallied 18 of his points in the second half as the Eagles crawled to within a single point (66-65) with 6:02 left before another 9-2 Toro run helped put the game away.

Chadron State will face Colorado College in a Saturday afternoon game at 3 o’clock.

Related Item: Cal State-Dominguez Hills/Chadron State Game Statistics
Related Item: Adams State Bankers Classic Website
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