Cougar men improve to 3-0 with 77-72 win over Colby

Submitted by Star-Herald Sports Reporters Jeremy Woznick and Kevin Klaman

COLBY, Kan. - The Western Nebraska Community College men's and women's basketball teams both registered wins Thursday in the opening day of the Colby tournament in Colby, Kan.

The WNCC men improved to 3-0 on the season under first-year Cougar coach Brian Joyce by picking up a 77-72 win over Colby Community College, while the Cougar women snapped a two-game losing skid with a 71-48 win over Pratt Community College.

For the Cougar men, it was their second victory of the season against Colby.
Daniel Smith scored 25 points to pace the Cougars in the contest. Smith also added seven rebounds, seven assists and two steals as the team rolled to an early lead.

"We took the lead in the first half and expanded it in the second half," WNCC coach Brian Joyce said. "We were up close to 20 at one point. But they closed the gap at the end."

The Trojans stormed back to within four with 5 minutes to play. But Joyce said the Cougars remained strong under pressure.

"It was a tough game down the stretch," Joyce said. "We got a couple of stops and made a couple of plays - hit some important free throws."

WNCC shot 27 for 63 from the field and dropped in 4 of 16 3-pointers in the game. The Cougars also scored 19 of 32 from the charity stripe. They led at halftime by a score of 40-30.

Kelvin Franklin finished with 19 points and two assists in the win. Drew Eisinger added 16 points, including a pair of 3-pointers. Eisinger also brought in five rebounds. Tearon Hill scored 13 points and grabbed six rebounds. Colby connected on nine 3-pointers but only went to the free-throw line eight times, hitting five.

"It was a big victory for us," Joyce said. "Road wins are really important at the beginning of the season."

In the women's game, WNCC flexed its muscles on the defensive end early in the contest by holding Pratt to just 17 first-half points, en route to building a 34-17 advantage at the half.

"Defensively we were a lot better," WNCC assistant coach Jennifer Pedersen said. "We were a little scrappier and we need to build on that."

Sophomore Alison Cheney poured in 13 points to lead the Cougars in the scoring column. She was the only Cougar to score in double figures. Dana Iverson, Emma Beddome, and Jena Colwell all added nine points each while Scottsbluff High School graduate SeLina Ysac totaled eight points.

Ysac led the Cougars from behind the 3-point line as she knocked down a pair of treys. Iverson and Beddome each added one 3-pointer in the game. Ysac, Shaquilah Davis and Tawny Drexler all pulled down six rebounds to lead WNCC on the glass. Drexler also chipped in with seven points.

The Cougars finished the contest shooting 34 percent from the field and 61 percent from the charity stripe. WNCC was 50 percent from downtown.

"We still didn't play up to our potential and we have a long way to go," Pedersen said. "But it's always good to come out with a win. It's good for the kids' attitude."

Both WNCC teams will be back in action at the tournament today. The men will take on Ft. Scott at 1:30 p.m. and the women will battle Colby at 5:30 p.m.

Men's Game
WNCC (3-0) 40 37 - 77
Colby 30 42 - 72
WNCC
Daniel Smith 25, Kelvin Franklin 19, Drew Eisinger 16, Tearon Hill 13

Women's Game
WNCC (2-2) 34 37 - 71
Pratt 17 31 - 48
WNCC
Cheri Palmer 5, Dana Iverson 9, Emma Beddome 9, SeLina Ysac 8, Shaquilah Davis 4, Alison Cheney 13, Tawny Drexler 7, Jena Colwell 9, Eli Cosme-Gonzalez 6, Carly Glisan 1