Turnovers coslty against No. 17 Roadrunners
Fox tallies 24 in Grizzly effort
DENVER— Twenty-three turnovers were too much for true freshman Nick Fox (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and the Adams State College men’s basketball team to overcome as the nation’s 17th-ranked Metro State College Roadrunners claimed a 90-74 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference win over the visiting Grizzlies, Saturday afternoon here at the Auraria Events Center.
Fox came off the bench and hit all seven of his field goal attempts and 10 of 11 shots from the free throw line as he scored a career-high 24 points, the most of any Grizzly this year and the most of any ASC freshman since then redshirt freshman David Hull scored the same on Feb. 27, 2004 against New Mexico Highlands.
However, the Roadrunners converted the Grizzly turnovers into 31 points and dominated the inside game out-scoring the Grizzlies 52-30 in the paint as they received 24 points from Reggie Evans and a 22-point, 12-rebound double-double Jonathan Morse as they improved to 5-1 overall and to 2-0 in RMAC play.
The Grizzlies, who trailed by just five points at the half and by just four early in the second half before a 16-5 Roadrunner spurt helped seal the game, fell to 3-4 overall and to 1-1 in the RMAC.
The Grizzlies shot at a respectable 49.0 percent (25-51) from the field throughout the afternoon but watched Morse grab 10 rebounds, including seven offensive, while scoring 19 points in the first half alone as the Roadrunners jumped out to a an 11-5 thanks to three Donte Nicholas buckets and a 3-point play from Morse.
However, a defensive effort that held the Roadrunners without a 3-pointer all afternoon and to a 35.9 percent (14-39) floor shooting effort in the first half, allowed the Grizzlies to close within 19-17 on Brad Hernandez’s (Westminster, Colo.) second 3-pointer with 9:40 to go in the half.
The Roadrunners went on a 12-4 run over the next 3:30 to take a double-figure lead but could not shake the Grizzlies who were within five points (40-35) at the break.
The Grizzlies would then get within four on a Fox bucket with 17:37 to go in the game before the Roadrunners extended their lead to 15 over the next 6-plus minutes.
Evens and Brian Minor, who tallied 19 points overall, had six points each in that stretch as the Roadrunners hit 60.7 percent (17-28) of their second half field goal attempts while outscoring the Grizzlies 50-39.
Minor, who was 7-for-11 from the field, also tallied a game-high four steals for the Roadrunners who won their 23rd straight home game.
Fox was the only Grizzly in double-figures and also shared team-high honors in rebounding with Seth Heinbaugh (Prescott Valley, Ariz.). Each tallied five. Heinbaugh also had four assists as the Grizzlies recorded a 14-9 edge in that category.
The Grizzlies now return home to face Nebraska-Kearney and Chadron State on Friday, Dec. 11 and Saturday, Dec. 12, respectively.
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