Roadrunners earn second consecutive win

Sedalia, Mo.-The State Fair Community College (SFCC) Roadrunners men's basketball team used a quick start to defeat Lewis & Clark Community College 91-76 Monday night, Nov. 17 inside the Fred E. Davis Multipurpose Center in Sedalia, Mo.

SFCC (5-4) jumped out to an 11-0 lead with less than 15 minutes remaining in the first half.

"We want our calling card to be on the defensive end of the floor," said Roadrunners head coach Jeremy Jackson. "When we get stops on the defensive end it allows us to get out in transition and have some opportunities for open three-point shots. We are a good three-point shooting team. We want to be able to get out and get some good looks at the rim."

The Roadrunners led 50-32 at halftime.

Lewis and Clark started the second half with a run to cut the SFCC advantage to 50-42 with about 17 minutes to go in the contest.

"We didn't come out with the fire that we had the first half," said Jackson. "That is to be expected with this young of a team. We talk about effort, energy, and execution every day. We can have those lapses."

The Roadrunners had an answer though as they never allowed Lewis and Clark to take a lead in the contest. SFCC stretched the advantage back out to 64-53 with less than 11 minutes to go in the game. The Roadrunners pushed the advantage to 21 points at 89-68 later in the second half to put the game away.

"I thought Imran Din-Gabisi came in and had some really positive minutes for us," said Jackson. "He hasn't been on the floor that much in these past few games. He was more than ready when his number was called. I was very proud of him for that. I thought Da'Ron Hall came in and made a difference on the inside for us as soon as he came in the game… I never take a win for granted at the college level. It was encouraging to shoot nearly 60% from the floor tonight and still have a lot of things to work on."

SFCC had four players who scored in double figures in the contest. Sophomore forward Ibraheem Sylla led the team with 16 points. Sophomore forward Malick Ndiaye and freshman wing Da'Ron Hall contributed 13 points each. Freshman JP Ndong added 11 points. Ndiaye pulled down a team-high six rebounds. Freshman guard/wing Andin Ashford dished out a team-high six assists. Hall registered a team-high three steals.

SFCC will return to action on Wednesday, Nov. 19 with a game against Fort Scott Community College. Tipoff from the Fred E. Davis Multipurpose Center is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

David Rohrbach

SFCC Athletics