TAKOMA PARK, Md- Men's Basketball hit the road to Washington D.C. to participate in the A.I.I NAIA East Coast Classic hosted by Washington Adventist University. In the first matchup the Crusaders took on Voorhees College from South Carolina. The Tigers from VC were participants in last years NAIA National Tournament and came into the game riding a hot winning streak. The Crusaders took control of th game early through first ten minutes, but after that the Tigers pressure defense got the Crusaders and kept them off balance for the remainder of the game. Tigers were able to build their lead as large as 30 but the Crusaders battled back to make the score respectable losing 103-92. Crusaders 30 turnovers plagued them in the loss. The game combined for 53 turnovers and 44 fouls. GLCC put six guys in double figures, led by Jalen Huff's 18 points 14 rebounds 6 assists and 3 blocks.
In the second game of the weekend GLCC took on Fisher College Falcons from Boston, Massachusetts. The Crusaders again started fast building a 17-11 lead early, but Fisher battled back with a 14-8 run to go into the half tied up 25-25. The game proved to continue to be defensive struggle as both teams were not hitting shots. In a game that featured 18 ties and 12 lead changes it was very competitive game. GLCC had the lead with 1 minute to go but costly turnovers sent the game to OT. In the OT GLCC went 0-6 and managed just two points, while Fisher was able to score 4 points to win 56-54 in OT. The Crusaders had a shot at the end to win it, but the ball came up short on the rim. The two losses move the Crusaders to 7-9 on the season.
What Coach Says:
"We would have loved to get two games this weekend but ultimately we did not take care of the ball well in key spots, and our shot selection was not the greatest either. I thought both games had some positives, but we had too mangy negatives to overcome those. We will get better as now it is pretty much conference play the rest of the way." Coach Westerlund also said, "Our team has got to continue to get tougher in the tough moments. We did not handle adversity well and we will need to be connected to overcome what we will face in this stretch run. Our talent is there no doubt, but we have more room to grow in connecting the pieces."