Hornets Stun Eutectics in First AMC Contest of the Season
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Harris-Stowe (MO) (5-10, 1-0) | 38 | 43 | 81 |
|
UHSP (1-11, 0-1) | 22 | 33 | 55 |
The Eutectic men's basketball team opened the new year with the first American Midwest Conference (AMC) of the season on Thursday night, taking on cross-town rivals Harris-Stowe State University (5-10, 1-0 AMC). The HSSU Hornets came into the contest having bested the Eutectics in 22 of the last 28 head-to-head matchups and improved upon that record with a decisive 81-55 victory on the UHSP home court.
After a made layup by HSSU's Tyler Victor to mark the board, Braylon Rios drained a three to give the Eutectics a 3-2 advantage after two minutes of play. The Hornets' Bennie Amos quickly answered with his own triple to take away what would be the only lead the Eutectics would enjoy all night. The visitors followed up with an 18-6 scoring run to go up 23-9 after 10 minutes and never looked back.
As the Eutectics struggled with 25% shooting, the Hornets dominated the boards (32-23) and forced nine turnovers to take 48 field-goal attempts compared to UHSP's 28 in the first half. By intermission, the Hornets held a 38-22 lead.
The Eutectics improved in nearly every aspect of the game in the second half, but the Hornets also upped their game, shooting at 52.9% from the floor to outscore the Purple and Gold by 10 points (43-33) and win the game 81-55.
Landon Engelage (12), Jas Suvalija (11), and Moctar Keita (11), all reached double figures in scoring for the Eutectics. Dwight Newsome and Sean Paradise Jr. pulled down nine and eight rebounds, respectively, while RJ Steckler and Keita had two blocks apiece. The rest of UHSP's points came from Newsome (6), Steckler (6), Rios (4), Brady Bowers (3), and Kyan Arrandale (2).
Patrick Evans went 8-12 from the floor for 19 points to lead the Hornets. Bennie Amos came off the bench for 18 points, while Anthony Bell II pulled down 10 rebounds and dished off seven assists.
The Eutectics, now 1-11 (0-1 AMC), will head out on the road for three Conference games next week, starting with Missouri Baptist University on Tuesday, Jan. 9, at 7:30 p.m.
