LANSING, Mich- The Great Lakes Christian College Men's Basketball team took on #6 Maranatha Baptist at home Tuesday afternoon for their last home game for nearly a month. The Crusaders came into the game 7-0 in NCCAA DII play. The game started off quickly as GLCC jumped out to 7-3 lead but the Sabercats would answer with a 16-5 run to take a 19-12 lead through the first nine minutes. Kais McCook and Jahmal Eggleston gave the spark the Crusaders need to turn defense into offense. The Crusaders would take the lead 37-30 over the next four minutes. JaQuin Jones also caught fire for the Crusaders in the first half scoring 20 of his season high 29 points in the first half. GLCC would go into the half with a 47-41 lead.
In the second half the Crusaders made a point to establish Basit Seidu. Seidu after a 1/3 half scored 6 of the Crusaders first ten points and went a perfect 5/5 from the field in the second half. The Crusaders physicality and pressure defense wore down the Sabercats as they forced the Sabercats in 22 turnovers. The Crusaders led by as much as 20 in the second half. Jahmal Eggleston led the Crusaders bench attack with 17 points 8 rebounds and 2 assists. GLCC would go onto cruise to a 88-75 win over the #6 Sabercats, with the win the Crusaders have matched their win total from last year.
Inside the Box Score:
- Crusaders bench outscored the Sabercats 30-23.
- The Crusaders forced 22 Sabercat turnovers but coughed up the ball 18 times.
- GLCC had 22 assists on 32 field goals.
- GLCC outrebounded MBU 39-37
- JaQuin Jones scored 29 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals
What Coach Says:
"It is always nice to get a win against a ranked NCCAA team. I thought we came out a little sluggish but credit to our bench for bringing the energy to get things going. We are seeing flashes how good we can be. The defensive side of the ball determines so much for us. I think we need to be more consistent in our focus defensively but when we did turn it on we executed our gameplan well. We were able to get our lead up to 20 points which was great to see, but we did not finish the game well. Maranatha continued to compete and we went into cruise control. Overall though wins are win and I am proud of this group." On JaQuin Jones, "JaQuin has been special all year long. He has been playing like an All American all season. He has been a consistent force all season, and today we saw how special he really is." On what it means to match last season's win total, "It is awesome to reach that this early in the season, I am not surprised because I knew this group was special. We still have a lot more work to do and more to accomplish. We're excited to keep changing our best."
What's Next:
Crusaders will travel to Harrodsburg, Kentucky to take on Campbellsville Harrodsburg, Saturday January 12th. Tip off is scheduled for 5:00pm.