WEST PLAINS, Mo.- Missouri State University-West Plains Grizzly Basketball heads into the holiday break playing its best basketball of the season, riding a five-game winning streak with an 8-7 overall record.
Among the highlights of the five-game winning streak, are a thrilling 116-115 win against No. 18-ranked Butler Community College and a 96-88 road win at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College, which was only the third home loss in the past four seasons for the Golden Norsemen. Freshman Gustav Blauenfeldt was an important factor in the win, knocking down four 3-pointers in the road victory.
The Grizzly offense has been led by a trio of guards scoring in the double figures in each game. Freshman guard Ace Evans leads the way with a team-high 16.6 points per game with fellow guard Shunderrius Glass contributing 13.5 points and 4.4 rebounds per game. Springfield native Dassiah Green is also scoring 11 points per game. Sophomore Damani Barley is just shy of double digits, averaging 9.4 points per contest.
The Grizzlies have not been without adversity during the early portion of the season as the injury bug has affected their big man rotation with Jaylon Hyson suffering a season-ending injury and 6’11” center Alonso Easterling has missed the last four games. Easterling is a stalwart defensively, ranking fourth in the nation with 3.1 blocks per game, and adds 7.7 rebounds per game.
This has allowed opportunity for other players like Javon Barbee to step into larger roles on the team. Since being inserted into the starting lineup, the 6’5” freshman from Tacoma, Washington has made an immediate impact averaging 10.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, and three assists per game since making his first start.
Other impact contributors include sophomore Tyrell Smith, who has been a strong defender while making an impact on offense with 8.9 points per game. Freshman guard Mekai Lindsey has also tallied 8.9 points per game. Sophomore Blayne Harris has provided efficient scoring off the bench, shooting 41.2 percent from beyond the arc.
“When we lost Alonso and Jaylon, I was worried about us being so undersized, but the guys have stepped up by playing hard as a team,” said Head coach Jared Phay. “We’ve played as tough of a schedule as anyone and during this streak, we are showing that we have learned a lot, are battle-tested and everyone is contributing.”
The Grizzlies expect Easterling to return following the holiday break.
“Our league is as tough as it’s ever been,” Phay said. “Even though we have played well without Alonso, we are going to need him for conference play.”
When the Grizzlies return from the break, they open with a home game against Link Year Prep on Jan. 7 at 7 p.m. before they enter region play at Moberly Area Community College on Jan. 10 at 4 p.m.
For more information on MSU-WP Grizzly Basketball, visit www.MSUWPGrizzlies.com.
Missouri State University-West Plains empowers students to achieve personal success and to enrich their local and global communities by providing accessible, affordable and quality educational opportunities. Missouri State-West Plains offers associate degrees and credit and non-credit courses and serves as a delivery site for bachelor’s and master’s degrees offered by Missouri State University in Springfield.
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