The Brock Badgers men's basketball team are back to a .500 winning percentage after a 77-60 win over the visiting Algoma Thunderbirds on Friday, Jan. 12 at Bob Davis Gymnasium.
Four Badgers' players hit double digits in the contest, with Jevon Brown leading the way with 14 points. First-year guard Thierry Tshibola was not far behind with 13, and he finished one rebound shy of his first career double-double. Marlon Lestin and Andrew McKenna chipped in with 13 and 11, respectively.
The Badgers got contributions from the bench, outscoring the Thunderbirds 21-11 in that category.
Both teams kept things close early in the quarter, but then the Badgers started to gain some momentum. Brock doubled up Algoma 16-8, providing pressure defensively with the full-court press and forcing four turnovers from their opponent. A late Tshibola three-pointer gave the Badgers a 25-12 lead after ten minutes of action.
The Badgers started out with a six-point run, keeping things going from the first quarter. Continued attacking at the hoop paid dividends for Brock, as their lead got as large as 23 midway in the frame up. The advantage got chipped down to 16 at the half, as the Thunderbirds went on a late 7-2 run, which was led by a buzzer-beating layup from Patrick-Oliver Mpoyi.
As the frame progressed, the Thunderbirds' three-point shooting nailed the lead down to 54-42, after their fifth long-distance shot of the quarter. Davante Hackett matched that three-pointer with one of his own to restore the Badgers' momentum. Brown's play towards the end of the quarter, including a massive three-pointer from deep in the corner helped the Badgers carry a 63-44 lead.
The Badgers held strong in the fourth as timely scoring from the home side kept the margin above 13 points throughout the final 10 minutes. Brown helped seal the win in empathetic fashion, stealing the ball off Agloma's Boluwatfie Obsaoto and driving down the court for a two-handed slam.
Up next, the Badgers (6-6) will be right back in action on Saturday, Jan. 13 in Guelph as they take on the Guelph Gryphons (4-9). Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. The game can be seen on OUA.tv.
