No. 5 Trailblazers ride fast start to Region 24 win over Lake Land

VINCENNES, Ind. – The No. 5-ranked Vincennes University Trailblazers made a few changes to the starting lineup Saturday afternoon against Lake Land College from Mattoon, Ill. and the Blazers jumped out to an early 16 point first half lead.

The Lakers battled back to cut the deficit to six at halftime but the Trailblazers were able to go wire-to-wire to pick up the 66-58 victory over Lake Land.

VU got off to an excellent start Saturday afternoon, scoring the first seven points of the game and later using a 10-0 scoring run to build a 20-4 advantage midway through the first half.

Lake Land would battle back and gain some momentum offensively, using an 11-1 scoring run to cut the deficit down to six, where the VU lead would hold throughout the rest of the first half.

The Trailblazers held on to a 28-22 lead heading into the locker room at the break.

Vincennes looked to get off to another quick start to begin the second half, growing the lead back to double digits at 34-24 before the Lakers again cut it back to six.

VU would add to the lead again to increase the margin to 45-34 before the Lakers answered with six straight points to get back within five.

The Trailblazers' largest lead of the second half came at 59-47 before the Lakers converted a four point play and got back within six.

Vincennes would put the game away at the free throw line down the stretch, with Lake Land running out of time for another comeback as VU closed out a 66-58 victory over the Lakers.

"We played pretty good defense," VU Hall of Fame Head Coach Todd Franklin said. "We've won two games this week and shot 35 percent twice. National best in the country, which we're usually right there, is somewhere between 36 and 38 percent at our level and NCAA Division I. We're shooting worse than that. So how do you win when you are shooting worse than that? You have to hold the other team down better than that and that's what we've done."

"We've played pretty good defense both games this week and I think our defense is getting better," Franklin added. "We'll have some mental breakdowns here and there, but if we can clean those up a little bit. I think since the Olney game our defense has been pretty good. We've held teams down into the 50s and the low 60s, with shooting percentages down. So there's good things. When you shoot 35 percent and win, you have to do a lot of good things."

"I thought we tried to move the ball and break it down offensively but we are not confident enough with the ball," Franklin said. "So we're not ready. We're not hitting the gaps with confidence, which creates backside actions. When we do, we are getting what we want. I thought we started out fine, got up big and then we just got a little flat. We're not making shots easy, so that can happen. We went through about a four or five possession stretch where we got the ball on the block and did not score. So it looked like they had turned the tide when really, we're just not finishing around the block. Then they made a couple of shots and they're back in it at the half."

"It's that simple," Franklin added. "When you're not making shots, it tough to get away from anybody. Second half was the same way. We got up by nine or 11 several times and then we would have a mental letup right when they are going to fight you. Gave up a backdoor cut with about five minutes to go. We get up by 11 and then come flying up the court out of control and jack a wild shot. We've done that a number of times. We've got to get better at that."

"We're just a little stale right now offensively," Franklin said. "We've got guys whose confidence isn't where it needs to be. They've got to get in the gym a bit more and get in a rhythm. Hit these gaps a little bit better and move the ball a little bit sharper. Have some guys hit some shots and it'll be alright. We've just got to keep defending. I thought we turned it over a few too many times. If that 15 had been more like 10 I think we could get away from them. But we're battling it a little bit offensively."

"I thought, in the second half again, we were a little bit better," Franklin added. "We got a little bit better when I went to Kris as a stretch four, which I haven't done a lot. He plays better in that. He did last year and we haven't been playing him there as much or hardly at all with the make up of our team. But I felt like we needed to open it up and when we did our proficiency of scoring was pretty high from then on and quality of shots was pretty high. It helps him, he plays better and gets more confidence and allows him to find a better rhythm in his game. So I thought down the stretch that was big."

"We had a couple of mental breakdowns at about the five minute mark or we would have got away from them," Franklin said. "But we did a lot of good things today. We outrebounded them. Held them down in the mid-30s shooting percentage wise and that's with DeKovachich making plays. I thought we defended him pretty good. I thought we could have defended him better, but we made him work and he still got 27. Now nobody else got going but if not for him, we really would have had the clamps on them. I thought we did a pretty good job on him and made him work, you just have to tip your hat to him. He had a good night."

"I thought it was a good win, if you're not going to make shots," Franklin added. "It was a good week when it's all said and done. Shawnee went out today and beat Olney by 11. So Shawnee's playing pretty well. They are playing awfully hard. They've kind of got a feel good going and Lake Land has too. I think both of those teams were coming off of winning five of their last six coming into our games. So to not make any shots and to grind these games out, you may come out of this, depending on how it finishes and find that this was a time when we were really finding our base. And if we make some shots and get a little confident a game like today or even Wednesday could easily be a 20-plus point win. That's what we've got to have happen by District Tournament time.

The Trailblazers were led offensively by sophomore Karyiek Dixon (Enfield, London, UK) who finished with 16 points, 12 of which coming in the second half, to go along with six rebounds.

Sophomore Kent King (Washington, D.C.) scored in double figures off the bench, connecting on three of four from behind the three-point line on his way to 13 points and four rebounds.

Freshman Lebron Thomas (Bishopville, S.C.) just missed out on a double-double, ending with 11 points, a team-high nine rebounds and five assists.

Sophomore Kris King (Washington, D.C.) matched Thomas' five assists, while fellow sophomore Ryan Oliver (Antioch, Tenn.) had a big game defensively, putting up seven points, six rebounds and a team-high three blocks.

Freshman Gerard Thomas (Henderson, Ky.) came off the bench to finish his day with eight points and three assists.

"I thought Kent King was the player of the game for us," Franklin said. "And I thought late in the game the other night he was pretty good. He didn't play a whole lot early and it wasn't great in that game and then we went to him late and I thought he played pretty well. He shot it pretty well. Made big shots tonight, including the free throws. It's good to see. One of Kent's issues has been being able to finish and finalize at a good enough percentage and if he's turning that corner right now that would be tremendous for us going down the stretch. He's looked pretty solid lately, even at Kaskaskia I thought he fairly solid with those things and he played big minutes. Maybe he's starting to put it together and maybe he's starting to get that sophomore late run. When you finally have that confidence meets the timing of things and that would be really big for us."

"Karyiek finished better in the second half," Franklin added. "We go through those periods with Karyiek, like in the first half, he gets straight up and stiff and doesn't turn strong. We don't really know why that is. It's not what happens in practice. He comes out here and does it and then we kind of go dead in the water and we get into him. In the second half, most times in these situations, he's found a better rhythm and a better attack of it."

"Then we opened the floor up with Kris in that stretch four spot and that gave him more room to make those plays," Franklin said. "Kent made a couple of big shots and Gerard made a big shot. Again, I thought today was better than Wednesday. But even Wednesday we had to fight. I thought our effort physically in the second half was good. Mentally, emotionally, no. But I thought tonight we were better. Not where we need to be mentally or emotionally and I thought physically we were still pretty good. But we're trying to turn that corner and get real confidence going. We're in position A and we know what we've got to do. We know what we need to get rolling and what we need to improve right now and I think we've got a pretty good idea of how we need to go about it. Does it happen or not? I don't know. But if it does and we start getting into our rhythm and hitting shots, get a little sharper moving it and continue to grind defensively as well as we are, then I think we'll have a chance to take off."

The Trailblazers will hit the road next weekend when the Blazers head to Carterville, Ill. to face-off against the defending NJCAA Division I National Champions, John A. Logan College Saturday, Feb. 17 at 4 p.m. eastern.

"Like I've said, and we've talked it to death, the guys know, we've just got to go out and play the way we are supposed to play with confidence," Franklin said. "We preach that we don't want them worrying about failure. But we want them to aggressively, smartly attack the things that we talk about every day. That includes being ready to shoot the ball and be ready to attack it. That's our message."

"I think if we do that across the board and really buy in to who we are, I thought there was a little more buy in today than there was Wednesday, little things that mean a lot to me, I thought we were better there," Franklin added. "Sometimes when you get yourself into a little bit of a funk, it takes a little while to grind it out before it really kickstarts and takes off. Hopefully that's what's going on right now. I thought tonight we started to gain a little more traction. Then we'll see this week if we can really start to get traction going and come out in that next week which is big. We are at Logan, SWIC in here Wednesday, who has been playing really well and then Olney in here that next Saturday is huge. Hopefully we'll get ourselves really revved up this week and ready to go."

VINCENNES BOX SCORE

VINCENNES (66): Michael Osei-Bonsu 2-6 0-2 4, Karyiek Dixon 6-12 4-5 16, Mathieu Nader-Kalombo 0-2 0-0 0, Ryan Oliver 1-3 5-5 7, Lebron Thomas 2-10 6-9 11, Damarien Yates 2-6 0-0 4, Gerard Thomas 3-5 0-0 8, Kris King 1-7 0-0 2, Kent King 3-5 4-4 13, Victor Lado 0-0 1-2 1, Team 20-56 20-27 66.

Lake Land – 22   36 – 58

VU (22-2, 9-1) – 28   38 – 66

Three-point goals: VU 6 (Ke. King 3, G. Thomas 2, L. Thomas). Rebounds: VU 42 (L. Thomas 9). Assists: VU 16 (L. Thomas 5, Kr. King 5). Steals: VU 4 (Yates 3). Blocked Shots: VU 9 (Oliver 3). Turnovers: VU 15. Personal Fouls: VU 18. Fouled out: None.