Roadrunners Basketball Recap Feb. 22-27

Feb. 22 Three Rivers Community College at Poplar Bluff, Missouri

The State Fair Community College (SFCC) Roadrunners lost 82-78 to the Three Rivers Community College Raiders in a Region 16 and Missouri Community College Athletic Conference game on Monday, Feb. 22 in Poplar Bluff.

SFCC opened with a 13-1 lead to start the contest and led most of the game. The Raiders fought back to erase a 17-point first half deficit and set up the dramatic finish.

Sophomore guard/forward Kohen Thompson of Memphis, Tennessee led five Roadrunners in double figures with 17 points and a team-leading eight rebounds. Freshman guard Jamar Madge jr chipped in with 16 points and six assists (a team-high). Freshman guard/forward Lavric Mangala of Nashville, Tennessee had 14 points. Sophomore guard/forward Eman Eman of Québec, Canada scored 13 points. Freshman guard/forward Naysean Baisy of Seattle, Washington scored 10 points.

"We took care of the ball," said Roadrunners Head Coach Matt Brown. "We shot the ball well. Three Rivers hit their free throws and we did not. We only made five of our 12 free-throw attempts in the second half, Three Rivers made 17 of their 22 in the second half. We make our free throws and we win the game. That aside, we probably played our best game of the year."

Feb. 24 Missouri State University-West Plains at Sedalia, Missouri

SFCC lost 76-73 to the Missouri State University-West Plains Grizzlies in a Region 16 and Missouri Community College Athletic Conference game on Wednesday, Feb. 24 inside the Fred E. Davis Multipurpose Center in Sedalia. The game featured 11 lead changes and seven ties.

SFCC took the largest lead for either team, 33-21 in the opening half. The Grizzlies cut into the lead with a run late in the half to make the score 35-30 at halftime. West Plains made just enough plays in the second half to secure the victory.

Mangala registered a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds, both team-highs. He also tied for the team-lead in assists with four with sophomore guard Mahamadou Nimaga of Bronx, New York. Mangala also led the team in steals with three. Madge added 14 points and Eman scored 13 points. Baisy and sophomore forward Corey Nzigamasabo of Montréal, Canada contributed 11 points each.

"I thought our balance was pretty good," said Brown. "Now, we just have to be able to put it all together and be able to finish some games. In our last two games, we've led down to the last three minutes."

Feb. 27 Moberly Area Community College at Moberly, Missouri

SFCC (5-6, 0-4 in Region 16, 0-4 in the MCCAC) lost 82-69 to the Moberly Area Community College Greyhounds in a Region 16 and Missouri Community College Athletic Conference game on Saturday, Feb. 27 in Moberly.

Moberly led 49-27 at halftime, but SFCC outscored the Greyhounds 42-33 in the second half. The difference would ultimately be decided at the free-throw line with Moberly making their free throws late in the game to secure the victory.

Eman lead the team in scoring with 18 points and added four steals to his stat line. Madge pitched in with 14 points and a team-high seven rebounds. Thompson added 10 points. Freshman guard Caleb Mims of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and Madge tied for the team lead in assists with three each.

David Rohrbach

SFCC Athletics