Cowley races past rival Coffeyville 96-76
In a match-up of nationally ranked teams, the No. 21-ranked Cowley College men’s basketball team built a commanding 54-30 halftime lead over No. 10-ranked Coffeyville Community College and went on to defeat the Red Ravens by a score of 96-76 on Wednesday night inside W.S. Scott Auditorium.
"Anytime you can get a rival win over Coffeyville, it is huge," Cowley head coach Donnie Jackson said. "They are well coached and extremely physical."
The victory, Cowley's third in a row, improves the Tigers' record to 8-2 overall and 3-1 in the Jayhawk Conference. Coffeyville (8-2) falls to 3-2 in conference play.
On Wednesday, Cowley built a double-digit lead (22-11) less than seven minutes into the contest. The Tigers would hit seven first-half three-pointers and force 14 Red Raven turnovers while building a 24-point halftime advantage.
"We were able to play with some pace and get out and run," Jackson said. "We are a better team when we are able to play that way."
Cowley's lead grew to as many as 27 points (71-44) in the 20-point home win. The Tigers shot 54.9 percent from the floor and went 10-of-25 from three-point range.
Freshman guard Marcus Smith led six Tigers in double figures with 20 points and is averaging 22.3 points per game over his past three contests.
Chase Robinson was one of three players who came off the bench to score in double figures and finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds. LJ Britt (13 points) and Kyden Thompson (11 points) also came off the bench to combine for 24 points.
"Our bench play was huge," Jackson said. "They brought energy right away after Leslie (Owens) and Xavier (Vickerstaff) picked up two quick fouls. It was good to see Chase as active as he was on the glass."
Konstantin Popovic's 18 points led Coffeyville.
Cowley will attempt to make it four wins in a row when they play at Hutchinson on Saturday at 3 p.m. The Blue Dragons are 7-4 overall and 2-3 in the conference following a 58-57 win at Barton on Wednesday.
"We have no time to sit back; we have to move forward to Hutchinson to prepare for the Blue Dragons," Jackson said. "They are extremely talented and well coached. We will have our hands full if we don't come ready to play."
Box score:
Coffeyville (76): Daniel Ntambwe 5-11 4-4 14, Jack Sorrell 1-3 1-2 4, Konstantin Popovic 5-11 5-5 18, Wamba Ngouateu 1-2 2-2 4, Rashid Kuta 3-5 3-5 9, Jeremiah Lucas 2-4 0-1 5, Kaason Thomas 0-1 0-0 0, Ke'Bari Lewis 2-6 2-2 7, Ulysses Webb 5-8 0-0 13, Jeremiah Ibeziako 1-1 0-3 2. Totals: 25-52 17-24 76.
Cowley (96): Marcus Smith 9-17 0-0 20, Leslie Owens 0-0 0-0 0, Xavier Vickerstaff 4-10 0-0 11, CJ Majors 1-1 2-2 4, Roman Miller 5-13 0-0 11, LJ Britt 5-6 1-1 13, Chase Robinson 7-9 0-0 14, Kyden Thompson 4-8 3-3 11, Jaxson Jones 1-2 2-3 4, Aven Mboule 0-0 0-0 0, Khai Brown 3-5 0-0 8. Totals: 39-71 8-9 96.
Three-pointers: Coffeyville 9-24 (Popovic 3-8, Webb 3-5, Lewis 1-4, Sorrell 1-3, Lucas 1-2, Ntambwe 0-2), Cowley 10-25 (Vickerstaff 3-7, Smith 2-5, Brown 2-3, Britt 2-2, Miller 1-6, Thompson 0-1, Jones 0-1). Rebounds: Coffeyville 29 (Ntawmbwe 6), Cowley 29 (Robinson 11). Assists: Coffeyville 7 (Popovic 3), Cowley 20 (Miller 5). Turnovers: Coffeyville 19, Cowley 7. Total fouls: Coffeyville 13, Cowley 20. Fouled out: Owens. Technicals: Smith.