Box Score Lexington, Ky. – The Transylvania men's basketball team roared to an 85-69 win over the Illinois College Blueboys on Tuesday evening in the 2021 edition of the Don Lane Classic at the Beck Center.
Zach Larimore came out firing on Tuesday with 16 of his game-high 23 points in the first half to lead the Pioneers to their third straight victory to move to 6-2 overall on the season. Illinois College dropped to 5-7 overall.
The Pioneers were aggressive and unstoppable in the first half as Larimore and Colby Napier each hit a pair of triples to lead Transylvania to a double-digit lead in the first eight minutes of the night. Transylvania then shifted its mode of attack to the restricted area where Pioneers took their respective turns powering the ball to the rack, eventually growing the lead to 32-17 with 5:55 remaining in the first half.
The Pioneers shot 63 percent from the floor in the first 16 minutes of the game and eventually turned in a 57 percent field goal figure in the first half, buoyed by 6 for 10 shooting from downtown to form a 42-30 halftime advantage.
Larimore shot 6 for 10 in the first half to give the Pioneers a cushion for the rest of the game.
Transylvania turned on the jets in the beginning of the second half as Jack Patton forced a steal on the first possession of the half, leading to a Larimore triple. Hunter Penn scored back to back buckets inside to complete a 7-0 start to the second half for Transy and a 49-30 advantage. Penn's inside dominance continued to frustrate the Blueboys as the freshman would score 13 of his 17 points in the second to cap off an 8 for 12 night from the field.
Penn led another big run for the Pioneers, who eventually surged to a 73-43 lead with 11:51 left in the second half. While Transy's three-point shooting cooled off in the second half, the water remained warm in the interior, where the Pioneers shot 58 percent on two-point buckets over the final 20 minutes.
Larimore was named the Player of the Game for the 2021 Don Lane Classic for his scoring exhibition.
Brandon Cromwell turned in another quintessential all-around performance, registering a 4x5 composted of a career-high 10 rebounds, a career-high six steals, five assists, and five points.
Napier finished with 17 points on 6 for 13 shooting from the floor to go with three assists.
Transylvania returns to play on Tuesday, December 28 in Las Vegas, Nevada at the D3Hoops.com Classic. The Pioneers will compete in the national showcase against the University Saint Joseph (Conn.) Blue Jays at 10 p.m. Eastern time at the South Point Resort Arena.
For more on Transylvania men's basketball, follow @TransyHoops on Twitter
