No. 3 Trailblazers fall for first time in Region 24 play at Olney Central

OLNEY, Ill. – The No. 3-ranked Vincennes University Trailblazers hit the road Saturday night for another tough Region 24 road matchup, this time coming against the Blue Knights of Olney Central College.

VU looked to have gained control over this game in the first half and was able to ride the momentum swings of the second half to hold a late 70-63 lead before a string of miscues allowed the Blue Knights to come away with the 73-72 victory.

Vincennes looked to take control of the game early, scoring the first four points of the contest Saturday night, before trading baskets with the Blue Knights.

Olney Central then looked to gain momentum with an 8-0 scoring run to take a 19-12 lead midway through the first half.

VU would answer back with a 12-1 scoring run to take a 24-20 lead. The Trailblazers would grow this lead to eight late in the first half before Olney used a 6-0 scoring run to cut the VU lead down to just one.

The Trailblazers would get the final basket of the opening half of play however, heading into the locker room holding a 38-35 lead over Olney Central.

Vincennes would again look to take control of the game early in the second half, quickly growing their lead to seven points at 52-45.

Olney Central would cut the lead down to just a single point again but looked to be unable to fully erase the VU lead.

After the Trailblazers had grown their lead back to seven with just under three minutes to play, the Blue Knights took advantage of some VU missed box outs and were able to string together four unanswered, all at the free throw line to cut the VU lead down to three.

After a VU bucket looked to calm things down, the Blue Knights would score six unanswered including hitting two big free throws to take the lead with 30 seconds remaining.

Vincennes still had plenty of time to set up a play and did so, getting a good look at the basket in the paint and a put back opportunity at the buzzer that both unfortunately rattled out as the Blue Knights came away with the 73-72 victory over the Blazers.

VU was led offensively Saturday night by another big scoring game by freshman Lebron Thomas (Bishopville, S.C.) who finished with a game-high 19 points, six rebounds and four assists.

Sophomore Karyiek Dixon (Enfield, London, UK) came off the Trailblazer bench to add 16 points and five rebounds on the night, while fellow sophomore Victor Lado (Louisville, Ky.) ended his night with 12 points and six rebounds.

Sophomore Michael Osei-Bonsu (Bolingbrook, Ill.) just missed out on his third-straight double-double, ending with eight points and a team-high nine rebounds.

Sophomore Kent King (Washington, D.C.) ended his night with nine points, three rebounds and a team-high two steals and freshman Gerard Thomas (Henderson, Ky.) played some big minutes for VU, ending with four points, five rebounds and a team-high six assists.

The Trailblazers will look to bounce back next week in front of the home crowd when VU hosts Lincoln Trail College from Robinson, Ill. into the Physical Education Complex Wednesday, Jan. 24. Tip-off time Wednesday is scheduled for 7 p.m. eastern.

VU will then close out the week at home by hosting Wabash Valley College Saturday Jan. 27 at the P.E. Complex. Tip-off time for that game is also scheduled for 7 p.m. eastern.

VINCENNES BOX SCORE

VINCENNES (72): Kris King 1-7 0-0 2, Kent King 3-9 2-2 9, Lebron Thomas 9-16 0-0 19, Michael Osei-Bonsu 4-9 0-2 8, Victor Lado 4-8 3-3 12, Damarien Yates 1-3 0-0 2, Gerard Thomas 1-2 2-2 4, Mathieu Nader-Kalombo 0-1 0-0 0, Karyiek Dixon 7-9 2-4 16, Team 30-64 9-13 72.

VU (17-2, 4-1) – 38    34 – 72

Olney Central – 35   38 – 73

Three-point goals: VU 3 (Ke. King, L. Thomas, Lado). Rebounds: VU 37 (Osei-Bonsu 9). Assists: VU 15 (G. Thomas 6). Steals: VU 7 (Ke. King 2, Osei-Bonsu 2). Blocked Shots: VU 2 (Lado, Dixon). Turnovers: VU 15. Personal Fouls: VU 19. Fouled out: None.