(Editor's note: MCC Athletics release)
MILES CITY - Miles Community College split a pair of basketball games on Sunday with the men winning and the women falling to Bismarck State.
Tvon Jones [mccpioneers.com] and Ray Daniels [mccpioneers.com] combined for 58 points and 13 rebounds as the Pioneers rallied from a 14-point 1st half deficit for a 98-94 MonDak Conference victory and at Bismarck State. Jones came off the bench to score 29 points (10-12 FG, 4-5 3's, 5-6 FT) and grabbed 8 rebounds while Daniels added 29 points (11-26 FG, 2-7 3's, 5-5 FT) 5 rebounds, and 4 steals.
The Pioneers trailed by at the half (47-42) and by double digits midway thru the 2nd half before rallying. MCC used a 43-30 rebounding advantage and 20-7 advantage on 2nd chance points to propel themselves to the conference win. Blessing Adesipe [mccpioneers.com] scored 15 points (6-14 FG, 1-2 3's, 2-4 FT) and grabbed 8 rebounds to help the Pioneers cause. The Pioneers also got excellent production off the bench from Kaleb Naylor [mccpioneers.com] with 9 points (4-8 FG, 1-2 FT) and 3 rebounds and Zack Baker [mccpioneers.com] added 6 points as the Pioneers had a 44-29 advantage off the bench.
Bismarck State was led by Seth Nelson and Alex Huber with 21 points each. Nelson (9-16 FG, 1-5 3's, 2-2 FT) also had 6 rebounds while Huber (8-13 FG, 5-6 FT) grabbed 5 boards. The Mystics had a huge lift in the first half off the bench from Carson Lamp as he netted 12 points on 4-4 from 3-point range at the half to finish the game with 14 points.
The Pioneers shot 36-71 (52%) from the field, 9-21 (43%) on 3's, and 17-25 (69%) at the line. The Mystics (2-5 MonDak and overall), were 38-72 (53%) from field, 8-25 (32%) from 3 (1-11 2nd half), and 10-12 from the free throw line.
The Pioneers (2-5 MonDak, 3-6 overall) will host Central Wyoming on Friday at 7:00 PM in a non-conference matchup of old Region IX rivals. They will then host Jamestown JV on Sunday at 3:00 PM.
In women's play, Bismarck State used the comforts of their home gym to build a 34-point lead in the 3rd quarter and coast to a 79-55 MonDak Conference victory over the MCC Pioneers. The Mystics used a 16-10 advantage in the 2nd quarter and parlayed that to a 31-17 3rd quarter to put things out of reach for the Pioneers.
Bismarck State used a balanced scoring effort led by Reile Payne's 12 points (4-10 FG, 3-7 3's, 1-2 FT) and Jayleen Kihle 10 points (5-10 FG) off the bench as 12 Mystics scored in the victory. Bismarck State converted on 40% (30-76) from the field but only 23% from beyond the arc (5-22) and outrebounded the Pioneers 55-42.
The Pioneers had only one player in double figures as Gabby Flute Player [mccpioneers.com] returned to the lineup after missing Saturday's game as she scored 14 points (6-9 FG, 2-3 3's) and grabbed 7 rebounds. Sydney Johnstone [mccpioneers.com] came off the bench to grab 9 rebounds and Aylin Ramirez [mccpioneers.com] (Phoenix, AZ) dished out 5 assists. The Pioneers connected on only 22-69 (31%) from the field and 6-23 (26%) from the 3-point line. The Pioneers shot only 8 free throws in the game and connected on 5.
Next up is a Thanksgiving weekend non-conference tilt against Central Wyoming on Friday night at 5:00 PM in Miles City. They will then host the Jamestown College JV on Sunday afternoon at 1:00 PM. The Pioneers are 0-6 in MonDak Conference play and 1-7 overall.
