HAMMOND, Ind. - The William Jewell men's basketball team broke out to a big early lead and held on late to win the season opener on Friday night. The Cardinals defeated Davenport, an NCAA Tournament team from last season, by a 90-76 final.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Tied at three 65 seconds into the game, the Cardinals outscored Davenport 25-7 over the next 11 minutes to open up a 28-10 lead. A bucket by Jordan Jermain with 2:30 to go in the first half, doubled up the Panthers, 40-20, as Jewell led by 19 at the break.
- The Cardinals did not let up to start the second half, expanding their lead to 26 after a layup from Heri Tshiyoyo.
- The Panthers made things interesting down the stretch, going on a 14-3 run to cut the lead from 19 down to eight. Jewell connected on 9-of-10 free throws over the finale minute to secure the 14-point victory.
KEY STATS
- Jermain poured in a career high 33 points on 9-of-16 from the floor and 11-of-14 from the free throw line, to go with seven rebounds.
- Mason Alexander put together an all-around 11 point, seven assist and six rebound performance.
- Kobe McKinley and Grant Stubbs also finished in double figures with 12 and 13 points, respectively, while Tshiyoyo pulled down a a game high 10 rebounds.
- Jewell shot a blistering 49% from the floor and got 23 points from the bench, compared to just nine from Davenport.
UP NEXT
The Cardinals look to start the season 2-0 on Saturday, taking on Purdue Northwest at 1 p.m.
