Thompson's Near Triple-Double Takes Down Dyersburg State

Christian Thompson's 26 points, 11 rebounds and 8 assists powered the Greyhounds past the Dyersburg State Community College Eagles 89-79 Saturday at The Dog House in West Memphis.

Thompson shot 12-of-17 from the field and guarded the Eagles' leading scorer, 6-5 guard Greg Gordon, who earned NJCAA Third Team All-American honors as a freshman. Gordon, who was averaging over 24 points and 12 rebounds entering the game, was held to 20 points and 10 rebounds by the 6'9" Thompson. It is Thompson's second double-double of the season, and the sixth game the sophomore from Lonoke, Arkansas, has shot at least 66.7% from the field.

Dyersburg took an early 11-4 lead in the first three minutes as the Greyhounds committed two turnovers in that span, but ASU Mid-South eventually got going behind Jesse Washington hitting his first four three-pointers and led by as many as 8 points with 1:40 to go in the first half. But the Eagles' came back by forcing two more Greyhound turnovers to cut the lead to 36-32 at the half.

In the second half, the two teams battled even for the first few minutes before ASU Mid-South took control with a 15-5 run over a 4-minute span that gave them a 65-52 lead with 8:45 remaining. But the Eagles would not back down as they put together a run of their own to cut the lead to 71-65 with 4:40 left on a Jeff Norment traditional three-point play. But on the very next possession, the Greyhounds swung the ball to Braxtyn McCuien who buried his second three-pointer of the game, and the Eagles got no closer than 8 points the rest of the game.

The Greyhounds shot 49.3% from the field and 34.8% from the three-point line while holding Dyersburg State to just 39.4% from the field and 27.3% from the arc. For the Greyhounds, Jesse Washington scored 19 points and dished out 5 assists, Braxtyn McCuien hit for 18 points, and Jailen Anderson finished with 15 points and 6 rebounds after sitting out most of the first half with two fouls. For the Eagles, Daryl Houston led with 21 points and Jeff Norment hit for 17 points.

ASU Mid-South moves to 9-3 on the season while Dyersburg State is now 8-2 with both losses coming to the Greyhounds. Next up is a rematch with Jones College, who defeated the Greyhounds 64-61 on November 1 in the first game of the season in Ellisville, Mississippi. Tipoff is Tuesday, December 13, at 7:30pm following the women's game at 5:30pm.