Greyhounds Race Past Blue Mountain

By: Chuck Livingston and ASU Mid-South Sports Information

The ASU Mid-South Greyhounds bounced back in a big way on Tuesday night.

ASU Mid-South put six scorers into double-figures, led by Chris Smith's 16 points, to glide past Blue Mountain College easily, 103-53.

Blue Mountain trailed 59-23 at halftime.

In its last outing, ASU Mid-South was edged in the final 15 seconds by Arkansas Baptist who won 102-97 on Saturday, and Chris Parker was happy to not see any lingering effects from that game.

"I thought it was a good win for us, coming off of a really tough game against Arkansas Baptist," said the veteran ASU Mid-South head coach. "We liked our attitude and effort against Arkansas Baptist and we focused on forgetting about the opponent and let our effort dictate the game, and I liked how we did that."

Wynne native Tasmania Jones made his return to the ASU Mid-South lineup with 12 points in limited minutes, while Cameron Ricks, Teverette Cain, Joe'Randle Toliver and Tyler Armstrong all hit for 11 points apiece to account for the Greyhounds' double-digit scorers.

"We were disappointed not to beat Baptist," Parker stated. "But at the same time, we were pleased with our effort and the game that we played. As far as that goes, we were glad to get back on the court and play a game to continue our improvement."

Next up for ASU Mid-South, it's a big regional matchup against North Arkansas.

The game against the Pioneers will be the first of two contests that will decide where the District II Regional title. The title match will be played on February 27.

ASU Mid-South must win on Saturday and again on February 13 to host the game at home. If they lose either game, then they will play the contest in Harrison.

"This is the second year under their coach and he brings a different style to the table," explained Parker. "He has two or three posts that can score on the inside and he has surrounded them with shooters."

North Arkansas is second in the NJCAA Region II in scoring and ranked seventh in the country with a record of 15-2.

"We know that we have to bring our top effort in order to compete with an extremely good, one of the best, North Ark teams that they've ever had there," Parker says. "The preparation is going to be continuing to establish consistency in our effort and intensity. We want to treat it like every other game, and we want this game to be a stepping stone in achieving our potential."

Tip-off on Saturday for the women's game is scheduled for 2 p.m. while the men will begin at approximately 4 p.m.