Alexander Accrues 40 Points in Aggie Attack on Bears
 

Goodwell, Okla.—The Panhandle State men’s basketball team tallied another high-scoring victory Tuesday evening, taking a 102-44 win over Barclay College.

The Aggies were led by Breiman Alexander, who accounted for a whopping 40 points, posting 23 in the first half alone. Alexander added 18 from beyond the arc and went 10-10 at the line in his outstanding offensive effort. In addition, the senior guard gathered six defensive rebounds, two steals and dished five assists in the game.

Head Coach Aaron Coombs commented on the stellar showing from Alexander, “When you have a guy who can score it like Bre [Breiman Alexander], he makes it easy as a coach. He does a great job of making high level passes to get other people involved in the game.”

DK Sumo settled up with a 20-point performance, including nine scored from three-point range. Sumo held a game-high of six assists, and totaled four boards and three steals. Freshman Garret Hoffman was big off the bench, adding 15 points on three long-distance shots and three inside the lane. Hoffman also led the game in steals with four.

Putting up another dynamic display, Thomas Ellis owned 16 rebounds on the night, including 12 defensive boards. The sophomore guard grabbed three steals and added five points for Panhandle. Brandon Green was also an effective weapon yielding ten rebounds and seven points off the bench.

The Aggies’ head coach went on to speak specifically on the improved efforts of Thomas Ellis and DK Sumo offering, “I couldn’t be more proud of TC [Ellis]; he is our heartbeat. To play as hard as he’s played and the unbelievable effort he’s shown is absolutely invaluable for us. It’s also great to see DK [Sumo] put back-to-back games together. He’s really turned the page over the last few weeks.”

For the game, the Aggies totaled 16 steals as a team and amassed 26 points off turnovers. They beat out their opponents at the boards, taking down 49 rebounds to Barclay’s 30, and scored 16 points on second-chance shots and 14 on fast breaks. Panhandle State averaged near 50 percent in shooting (49.3) and went 13-30 at three-point range (43.3%). They missed just six of 29 shots from the line to average 79.3 percent in free throws. The Bears were held to a 22.2 field goal percentage, 29.4 percent beyond the arc and shot 53.6 percent at the line.

Holding a 4-1 record on the season, Coombs is pleased with his team’s progress thus far stating, “I am really proud of how the guys are handling these early games. Games like these are important because they really help build confidence in the guys.” He adds, “It’s not always easy to stay focused, but I feel like our guys have bought in to defending and rebounding at a high level, and that is definitely showing on the court.”

Coombs also acknowledged the output from his noon-starters stating, “Our bench was electric. There is nothing more valuable and more important than guys that aren’t in the game making contributions in different ways.” He made note of the express efforts of both Green and Hoffman.

With conference play and some NCAA Division II exhibition contests on the horizon, Coombs is clear on the value of a weekend off. “Now all attention turns to Our Lady of the Lake and the other high-caliber games coming up to really push us into conference. It is important for us to rest and take care of our bodies during this break, as we continue to grow as a team and work on our chemistry.” He concludes, “I’m glad we handled business this week and gained confidence in our abilities. I’m excited to prep for what lies ahead; we will really find out what we’re made of Tuesday night against OLLU.”

The Aggies host Our Lady of the Lake University on Tuesday, Nov. 20 before taking a break for the Thanksgiving holiday. Panhandle State women’s basketball also competes on Tuesday, taking on Northern New Mexico College at 6 p.m. before the men’s 8 p.m. tip-off. Live stats and video will be offered online for those unable to attend. Tuesday will be a Red Out event at Anchor D Arena, so fans are encouraged to show up rowdy and wearing red!