UNDEFEATED EAGLES SOAR TO BIG WIN OVER COUGARS

 

The Dyersburg State Eagles made the long trip across the state of Tennessee on a cold Saturday afternoon for a key Region VII matchup in L. Quentin Lane Gymnasium with Cleveland State. The Undefeated Eagles left no doubt as they dominated the proceedings from start to finish by posting an impressive 77-57 win over the Cougars.

 

Marcus Averhart knocked down a pair of free throws to give the Cougars a 2-0 lead to start the game, but that would be their only lead of the afternoon as the Eagles spread their wings in a big way and went on a lightning fast 15-0 run and never looked back. Jordan "Turbo" Smith nailed four shots from downtown and had 18 points in the first half to help his team to a 25-6 advantage midway through the half.

 

Made buckets were few and far between for the Cougars as the high-flying Eagles soared up and down the court at record pace. K'Juan Banks hit a nice driving layup, Charles Freeman added a tough three-point play and Jo'Vontay Ross hit a shot from long range as the Cougars tried to keep up, but to no avail as the Eagles would hold a commanding 44-18 halftime lead.

 

It was more of the same throughout the second half. Montrez Ward let fly from three-point land for the Eagles, Greg Gordon poured in 16 points in the second half including a rim-rattling slam dunk and Smith continued his good work with several slashing drives to the hoop helping the Eagles extend it's lead to more than 30 points midway through the half.

 

Marcellus Taliaferro was a bright spot off the Cougar bench as he rained down 16 second half points on the Eagles mostly in the paint with a variety of spin moves including a thunderous slam dunk, but also stepped outside to can a 3-ball just for good measure. Kobe Pride and Banks added a couple of short baskets each to the Cougar cause and Khris Green and Averhart added a trey each in the final minutes, but it was too little to late as the Eagles cruised to the win.

 

Gordon led the way for Dyersburg State (17-0, 7-0) with 25 points while Smith finished with 21. The Eagles shot 43% for the game compared to 25% for the Cougars (3-22 from three-point land). Taliaferrro led the Cougars (6-7, 3-4) with 17 points.

 

The Cougars will now hit the road for three straight games at Volunteer State, Columbia State and Roane State, before returning home on January 29th to host Southwest Tennessee.