Our Pioneers were away this weekend for their second road game in a row against the Anderson Ravens. The Pioneers coming into this game won their last 4, most previously at MSJ where the Pioneers were in a battle the whole game but strong defense and superior coaching got us the Win. In this game the Pioneers just didn't seem to play their game to the potential they had been showing, losing away in an animated game 83-91.
In the first half Colby Napier got the offense going with a 3 followed by a Hunter Penn and 1 layup. Sophomore Hunter Penn, had a strong game against MSJ which was a good sign while he has lower statistical numbers this year compared to last year. Penn has cut his attempts from the line nearly in half but has made an effort to focus up on both ends this game where he was almost all of our inside presence. The Pioneers all season had made it a point to get touches inside and score from the interior and in this game we were not able to do so effectively. Getting outpaced on the inside despite the effort of Penn was crucial but didn't stop the big fella from ending the game with a double double. Half ended at 35-50.
In the second half the Pioneers had a scoring demeanor with Colby Napier coming alive shooting well from deep but also showcased his midrange game. The Pioneers had to fight back this whole half as defending the 3 point shot was difficult similar to games earlier in the year. Matthew Teague also impacted the game in many categories including a double double, sadly a large catalyst were turnovers making the comeback insurmountable.
After the game, head coach Brian Lane had this to say:
"I thought we got off to a terrific start but we lost some of Anderson's top three point shooters in the zone. Giving up 12 three point goals makes all the other aspect of the game very difficult. I loved our fight coming back from down 19 to have a shot to take the lead. Colby showed that he has a terrific midrange game and Penn continues to show significant improvement with another double-double. Hopefully we will get Simon Smith back for the conference tournament so we can be a full strength. This is a big week ahead for us."
As the Pioneers look to regroup they will surely focus on defense and execution as 2 wins would secure home court in the HCAC quarterfinals next Sunday. The next game is against Hanover, Tuesday February 14th at 7:30 in the Beck Center and with it being the last home game of the season, it is also Senior Night! So please be sure to join us Tuesday in support of the two seniors on our Men's team, Luke Schroeder and Will Cockrell.
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