Greyhounds looking good in hoops season early going

Greyhounds looking good in hoops season early going

ASU Mid- South Basketball 3- 1 to tip off 2017- 18 campaign

www.asumidsouth.edu The Arkansas State University Mid-South men’s basketball team is off to a strong start.

In the season opener on Nov. 3, the Greyhounds coasted to a 108-83 victory over National Park College in the Greyhound Tipoff Classic at The Dog House. The Greyhounds raced to a 56-35 lead at the half and never looked back. Trevor Banks and Laquentin Miles led the Greyhounds with 17 points each while Kamron Rose scored 14, Terrikous Smith put in 13, and Dee Montgomery chipped in 10 points. Montee Randle led the Greyhounds with 10 rebounds to go with 10 points for the double-double, and Smith dished out 5 assists to go with his team-high 2 steals.

The Greyhounds controlled the boards by a 59-39 advantage and forced 21 turnovers while holding NPC to 36.5 percent shooting from the field.

The next afternoon, the Greyhounds took on Parkland College who finished fifth in last year's NJCAA Division II National Tournament and was ranked #10 in the 2017-2018 preseason poll.

The Greyhounds fell just short of the upset, taking a 79-76 loss to close out the Tipoff Classic.

Terrandus Smith scored 13 of his game-high 21 points in the second half as K.J. Patrick finished with 14 points and a teamhigh 6 rebounds, Jerrick Cole hit for 11 points, and Terrikous Smith finished with 10 points and a game-high 5 steals.

The visiting Cobras hit a threepointer with seconds left in the first half to take a 39-37 lead into the break. The Greyhounds forced 22 turnovers while committing only 13, but Parkland hit 48 percent from the field and 35 pecent from the three-point line compared to the Greyhounds 42 percent and 31 percent, respectively.

After getting a scare following a collision in Friday night's game that sent Trevor Banks to the hospital with no feeling in his arms and legs, the Greyhounds All-Region forward was on the bench in street clothes and is listed as day-today.

ASU Mid-South next traveled to Harrison, Arkansas, to compete in the Pioneer Classic at North Arkansas College where they took on Missouri Valley JV last Friday.

The Greyhounds started strong and stayed strong in taking a 100-59 victory in the first game of the Pioneer Classic. Taking a 44-22 lead at the half, ASU Mid-South gave up only six field goals in the first half to Missouri Valley JV before outscoring their opponent 56-37 to close out the win.

Terrikous Smith led all scorers with 17 points as Trevor Banks, Terrandus Smith, and Laquentin Miles all scored 12 points each with Dee Montgomery and Keshaun Davis chipping in 9 points each.

In the second game of the Pioneer Classic, the Greyhounds used solid defense and consistent offense to defeat Murray State College 91-76.

Trevor Banks and Terrandus Smith both scored 20 points while Montee Randle finished with 19 points as the Greyhounds took a 41-32 lead at the half and stayed in control the rest of the game. Dee Montgomery and Terrikous Smith both added 10 points as the Greyhounds moved to 3-1 on the season.

The Greyhounds will be on the road this weekend, traveling north to take on Missouri Baptist University on Friday and St. Louis Community College on Saturday before taking Thanksgiving week off. The team returns home to the Dog House on Thursday, Nov., taking on Itawamba Community College at 7:30 p.m.

By ASU Mid-South Sports