Roadrunners fall in pair of Region games

January 25 Moberly Area Community College at Sedalia

The State Fair Community College (SFCC) Roadrunners fell to the eighth-ranked Moberly Area Community College Greyhounds 62-53 Wednesday night, January 25 inside the Davis Center. The game was part of the Region 16 schedule for both teams.

SFCC led 24-20 at halftime of the low-scoring defensive battle. The Greyhounds took the lead 34-30 with less than 14 minutes remaining in the contest and outscored SFCC 42-29 to secure the victory.

SFCC freshman guard Devon Ellis and sophomore guard Jules Bikoy tied for the team lead in scoring with 13 points each. Sophomore wing/forward Dalton Gayman added 10 points. Sophomore wing/forward Abou Wague had a team-high six rebounds and led the team in blocked shots with two. Freshman guard Tazir Smith led SFCC in assists and steals with six and two respectively.

"I thought our kids did a good job tonight and I was really proud of our effort overall," said Roadrunners Head Coach Matt Brown. "Moberly got some offensive rebounds, which is why they are a nationally ranked team. We had a great atmosphere tonight. I think people left here tonight knowing that we competed and that's what I wanted. I'm just very thankful for all the people who came out and supported our Coaches vs. Cancer event tonight. The purpose was to raise awareness for early detection and screening for cancer and trying to help people who maybe don't have the resources to get the screenings. I want to say thank you to all the people here tonight who made this an awesome event."

January 28 Missouri State University-West Plains at West Plains

SFCC (7-16, 1-6 in Region 16) fell 72-64 to Missouri State University-West Plains Saturday night, January 28 in West Plains. The game was part of the Region 16 schedule for both teams. It featured five lead changes and nine ties.

SFCC trailed 36-27 at halftime. The Roadrunners fought back to take the lead in the second half. West Plains refused to go away quietly on their home floor and sealed the victory in the final minutes.

"The game could have gone either way with five minutes to go," said Brown. "We have been in that situation a lot. You can't have those mental lapses. That has been the difference in a lot of our games in the Region. I think that Dalton Gayman and Jules Bikoy played well. We just need someone else to step up and help those two."

Gayman led SFCC in scoring with 18 points. Bikoy contributed 14. Freshman guard Elijah Bernstein chipped in with 11 points. Smith pulled down a team-high nine rebounds and dished out a team-high three assists. Smith also tied for the team lead in steals with two along with Wague.

David Rohrbach

SFCC Athletics