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| Melvin Gatson has been one of the AMC's top rebounding guards at 5-foot-10, grabbing 5.1 rebounds per game in Park's seven conference contests. |
Game Notes (PDF)
The Park University men’s basketball team will look to hand No. 18 Columbia College back-to-back losses for just the second time this season when the Cougars visit Breckon Sports Center at 4 p.m. Columbia (18-6, 5-1 AMC) is in a first-place tie with Harris-Stowe State University after falling to the Hornets Thursday night in St. Louis, and the Cougars haven’t dropped back-to-back games since late November in a non-conference classic at Trinity International University. Park (9-12, 3-4) will look to redeem its own loss from Thursday night when Columbia visits after falling to Hannibal-LaGrange University at HLG’s Porter Gymnasium, 66-62. During Saturday’s game, Park and Columbia will celebrate Coaches vs. Cancer, and no season passes will be used for admission. Fans are asked to pay regular gate and the Park spirit squad will also collect donations for Coaches vs. Cancer. The Park Student-Athlete Advisory Committee has organized a white-out, and fans are invited to wear white to the games, which can also be watched live on the Pirate Sports Network at www.parkathletics.com.
SECOND-STRAIGHT COMEBACK BID FALLS SHORT
Park tried to make it two-straight come-from-behind wins on Thursday, but after regaining the lead momentarily in the second half, the Pirates were unable to overcome timely Hannibal-LaGrange shooting and a late turnover that handed the Trojans their ninth win in the 24-game all-time series between the two schools. Reco Anderson, Park’s leading scorer at better than 15 points per game, scored a game-high 20 points for the Pirates and also led the team on the glass with seven rebounds. Leon Carswell led HLG, matching Anderson’s game-high 20 and adding eight rebounds.
THURSDAY’S GAME BY THE NUMBERS
• One career high for scoring was established as Montrell King found double figures for the first time in a Pirate uniform, pouring in 11 points on a career-best four field goals, three of which (also a career-high) came from outside the 3-point arc.
• Melvin Gatson was the only other Park player in double digits, scoring 15 despite an 0-for-6 night from above the arc. Both Gatson and Anderson knocked down seven shots from the free-throw line. Gatson is averaging 13 points per contest in 2011-12, and Juston Hairston is also in double figures at 10 points per game.
• Of Park’s 10 turnovers, five came in the first 10 minutes, leading to HLG’s biggest lead of the game at 14 points, 19-5.
• Park and HLG each grabbed 33 rebounds in the game, and for the first time this season, every player to touch the floor for Park recorded at least one board. In all, 18 of the 19 players to enter the game between the two teams had at least one rebound.
ABOUT COLUMBIA AND THE SERIES...
The Cougars are coming off of their first conference loss since a 57-55 loss to McKendree on Feb. 10, 2011. It was also the Cougars’ first loss to Harris-Stowe since Jan. 28, 2010, when HSSU knocked off a CC team that finished sixth in the AMC 55-47. The 2011-12 Cougars are led by an NCAA Division I transfer in Columbia-native Jordan Dressler, who had a double-double 21 points and 10 rebounds against HSSU. Dressler averages 15.2 points per game and is the conference’s third leading scorer, adding an AMC best 38 blocked shots. Earlier this season, Columbia handed Park a 76-59 loss in the Arena of the Southwell Complex, giving the Cougars their 18th win in the 46-game all-time series between the schools. Park leads the all-time series 28-18.
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