FRANKFORT, Ky. – The Spring Hill College (SHC) men's basketball team earned a 78-61 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) victory over the Kentucky State University (KSU) Thorobreds on Monday night at the William Exum Center.
The Badgers clawed out a 20-16 lead over the Thorobreds (8-14, 5-10 SIAC West) with 8 minutes to go in the first half and had stretched out a 42-28 bulge by halftime. For most of the second half, SHC maintained a double-digit lead to close out the contest.
Senior guard
Dwight Harris had 24 points and senior forward
Chase Shellman of Louisville, Ky. scored 11 points with 14 rebounds for the Badgers while junior guard
Ron Rice contributed 13 points off the bench and senior guard
Gresyn Rogers poured in 23 points.
As a team, SHC shot a healthy 48.3% (29-60) from the field and 33% (7-21) from 3-point range. The Badgers lost 14 turnovers against six steals by the Thorobreds that translated into a 25-16 advantage for SHC in points off turnovers. SHC also took a 40-32 victory in rebounding for a 17-11 advantage in second chance scoring. The Badgers made just 56.5% (13-23) of their free throws.
Shaq Athie and Bradlee Lewis paced KSU with 18 points each. KSU shot 37.9% (22-58) overall and made 26.3% (5-19) of their shots from beyond the arc. The Thorobreds committed 16 turnovers against nine steals by the Badgers. KSU sank 63.2% (12-19) of their free throw opportunities on the night.
The Badgers (7-17, 6-9 SIAC West) will host the Lane College Dragons (8-14, 4-10 SIAC West) on Saturday at 4 p.m. in the Arthur R. Outlaw Recreation Center. Before the game, Spring Hill will honor its Senior Class teammates with the annual Senior Day ceremony.
