Pilots win GCAC opener over Gold Rush, 87-75
December 14, 2004
Shreveport, LA---The LSUS Pilots (8-3) opened their 2004-2005 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference season Tuesday night at the Dock versus the Xavier University Gold Rush (9-2). Pilots Fredericko Payne poured in 19 points in the first half and finished the games high scorer with 27, leading the Pilots to an 87-75 victory of the Gold Rush.
Fredericko Payne controlled the scoring, tempo, and outcome of the first half as he poured in 19 points on 6-9 shooting, including 4-6 from beyond the three-point line while collecting 4 steals and an assist. Derrick Rogers pitched in with 11 points and 6 rebounds, while Freddy Hughes picked up 7 assists in eight minutes of work. Point guard Justin Collins finished the half with a three-point field goal as time expired to finish with 6 points and 5 assists, and gave the Pilots a 46-34 halftime lead. The Pilots were 18-29 from the field and connected on 7 of 13 from beyond the three-point line. The Pilots were 3-4 from the free throw line.
Timothy Green was the leading Gold Rush scorer with 10 points and 5 rebounds. The Gold Rush were 12-31 from the field, 5-14 from beyond the three-point line, and connected on 5 of 9 free throws.
An early Gold Rush run cut the Pilots to 6 points, however, the Pilots offense proved to be too much for the Gold Rush as they lead by as many as 17 midway through the second half, and held that lead for an 87-75 victory.
Timothy Green led the Gold Rush offense with 20 points and 14 rebounds while teammate Jason Leonard pitched in with 17, including a three-point basket as time expired. The Gold Rush finished shooting 27-68 (40%) from the field, and were 8-26 (31%) from beyond the three-point line, while connecting on 13-22 (59%) free throw attempts.
The Pilots finished with 4 scorers in double figures which included Fredericko Payne with 27, Derrick Rogers with 21 points and 11 rebounds, Justin Collins had 13 points and 7 assists, followed by Derrick Sowell with 10 points and 5 rebounds. Freddy Hughes contributed with 7 first half assists and 2 points, and Derrick Hill was a huge threat in the post collecting 6 blocked shots and 14 rebounds to go along with 6 points.
“Tonight was an outstanding team performance. Everyone played their role and we played our style of basketball tonight. That is the first step in what is going to be a very tough season. Our conference is one of the toughest in the country as we have 4 teams ranked in the top 30, and we would not want to have it any other way,” commented head coach Chad McDowell after Tuesday night’s win.
LSUS has improved to 8-3 on the year, with their three losses coming at the hands of NCAA Division I opponents, and begin the year on top of the GCAC at 1-0. LSUS travels to Commerce, TX Thursday to take on Texas A & M-Commerce. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00pm
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