Greyhounds Take 5th Place at NJCAA National Tournament
Down as much as 16 points in the second half, the Greyhounds never quit on the way to an exciting 72-71 victory over Erie Community College (NY) to take 5th Place at the NJCAA National Tournament in Danville, Illinois.
March 24, 2018
2018 NJCAA DII MEN'S NATIONAL BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
(13) Erie Community College KATS (Buffalo, NY) 20-10
VS
(14) Arkansas State University Mid-South GREYHOUNDS (West Memphis, AR) 29-6
For immediate release: Saturday, March 24, 2018
Danville, IL – The fifth place game of the 2018 NJCAA Division II Men's Basketball National Tournament paired 13th-seeded Erie Community College against 14th-seeded Arkansas State University Mid-South.
These two lower seeded teams upset the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds of the tournament in the opening round. Both teams exchanged points for the first seven minutes of the game before Erie started their gradual separation.
After leading 14-13, the Kats outscored the Greyhounds in the last 13 minutes of the half, 22-13. Pedro Marquez led Erie with 11 points in the half, while Trevor Banks scored seven for Arkansas. At one point, both teams went over four minutes without scoring from the 7:20 mark to the 2:52 mark. Erie took a 10-point lead into the locker room.
HALFTIME SCORE:
Arkansas – 26
Erie - 36
1st HALF LEADERS:
Arkansas State Mid-South:
#13 Trevor Banks, 6'7, So. – 7pts, 2rebs
#23 Montee Randle, 6'4, So. – 6pts, 4rebs
#30 K.J. Patrick, 6'6, So. – 2pts, 3rebs
Erie:
#15 Pedro Marquez, 6'3, So. – 11pts, 3-6 3PT
#12 Winston Beato, 6'8, So. – 6pts, 2rebs
#13 Shevon Anisca, 6'4, Fr. – 4pts, 3rebs
Erie came out in the second half and increased their 10-point lead to 16. But they would soon go cold. The Kats led 49-38 with 13:33 to go in the game when Arkansas State Mid-South went on a 13-0 run. The last six points were scored by Banks, with his final bucket at the 10:09 mark giving the Greyhounds their first lead since the 15-minute mark in the first half.
The game remained close for the next five minutes before another dry spell plagued Erie. In two scoreless minutes, Arkansas sparked an 8-0 run that gave them a six point advantage with three minutes to go.
The teams then traded three-point baskets, with Kasey Walker-Gregg connecting on two of them for the Kats, his final three making the game 72-70 in Arkansas State Mid-South's favor with 40 seconds left. K.J. Patrick missed two free throws after his lay up rolled off the rim and he was fouled. Down two with the ball, Erie's Walker-Gregg drove baseline and was fouled. He made the first free throw but missed the second.
In a scramble and up one, 72-71, the ball came loose and Terrandus Smith, who hit a last-second game winner to put the Greyhounds in the fifth place game, tried a windmill dunk in the waning seconds of the game. The dunk launched off the back iron and out of bounds, giving Erie the ball with 1.3 seconds left.
After two timeouts, Erie threw the ball in to Pedro Marquez whose three-point attempt went wide. Arkansas State University Mid-South finishes the year 29-6 and in fifth place at the 2018 NJCAA Division II Men's Basketball National Tournament. Erie Community College finishes 20-11 and in sixth place.
FINAL SCORE:
Arkansas – 72
Erie - 71
TEAM LEADERS:
Arkansas State Mid-South:
#13 Trevor Banks, 6'7, So. –25pts, 7rebs, 3stls, 11-14 FG
#23 Montee Randle, 6'4, So. – 15pts, 7rebs, 5ast
#30 K.J. Patrick, 6'6, So. – 8pts, 8rebs
Erie:
#0 Kasey Walker-Gregg, 6', Fr. - 16pts, 4asts, 4-12 3PT
#13 Shevon Anisca, 6'4, Fr. – 14pts, 5rebs, 5-6 FG
#4 Kyle Harris, 6'1, Fr. – 12pts, 2rebs, 4-9 FG
#15 Pedro Marquez, 6'3, So. – 11pts, 5rebs, 3-10 3PT