Eagles win two straight blowouts
By Eben Rosentrater – Sports Editor
It was a “most complete” weekend for the CSC men’s basketball team after defeating both the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs Mountain Lions and the Regis University Rangers, of Denver, by over 20 points on Friday and Saturday.
The Eagles’ offensive power was on full display over the weekend, allowing them to win their third straight game and climb to fifth in the RMAC.
Friday’s game against the Mountain Lions, to many, looked bleak before the players even took the court to warm up. Chadron’s last meeting with UCCS on Jan. 3 ended in a 63-91 loss for the Eagles.
However, after the first 10 minutes of play, it seemed as if the Eagles were seeking retribution for their previous loss.
Directly after the tipoff, Jarrett Taylor, junior of Evergreen, Alabama, set the tone for the night and effortlessly sank a 3-pointer. Isaiah Wyatt, junior of Fort Worth, Texas, proceeded to score the Eagles’ next 14 points, putting the team up 17-9.
The score was 46-29 in favor of Chadron State going into halftime, making it seem as though the Eagles had all but won the contest.
The second half, while not as productive as the first, was still a major success for the Eagles, outscoring the Mountain Lions 32-27.
Led by three double-digit scoring efforts from Wyatt, Taylor, and Josh Robinson, junior of Paris, Texas, the Eagles went on to win the contest 78-56.
“It was our most complete game of the season,” CSC Head Men’s Basketball Coach Shane Paben told CSC Sports Information on Friday. “We took away their transition game, kept them in front of us and didn’t let them get many good looks on 3-pointers.”
In total, the Eagles held the Mountain Lions to just eight fast break points and .222 from behind the arc, reflecting Paben’s comments perfectly.
Wyatt led the game in scoring with 20 points, shooting .583 from the field including .500 from the behind the arc. He is currently 13th in the country in 3-point shooting average for NCAA Division II.
Saturday’s game against the Rangers fared even better for the Eagles. The first 10 minutes of the game, however, did not look that way.
The Eagles turned the ball over seven times before they scored 10 points. However, with the Rangers leading 8-7, the Eagles went on a 20-point run led by Bryce Latimer, junior of Stone Mountain, Georgia. Chadron State ended the first half leading 43-28.
Latimer, who was held to only four points the night prior, led the game and scored a career-high 33 points, shooting .684 from the field and .875 from the free- throw line.
Behind the hot-hand of Latimer, the Eagles scored another 51 points in the second half and won their third straight contest, 94-71.
Chadron improves to 11-8 on the season, and 8-5 in RMAC play. They climb to fifth in the RMAC and increase their chances of qualifying for the postseason championship tournament.
The Eagles return to the court at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, when they travel to Rapid City, South Dakota, to take on the South Dakota Mines Hardrockers.