Men’s basketball takes a loss, but hopes for a quick turnaround

Heading into Saturday’s game on the road against South Puget Sound the Gator Men were looking to continue their recent hot streak and move into a tie atop the NWAACC west standings.

Unfortunately, the Gators they got off to a slow start and were never able to recover as they lost to the Clippers 78-71.

In the first half the Gators only shot 37 percent from the floor and only 41 percent from the free throw line which resulted in an 11 point halftime deficit. They Gators were able to turn up their level of intensity in the second half as they shot 50 percent from the floor, and 81 percent from the free throw line (which helped cut into the 11 point deficit).

Freshman forward, Chris Plooy, and sophomores Shermarke Ibrahim and Taylor Cliett led the Gators in scoring with 12 points each. Ibrahim and sophomore guard Jake Wilcox tied for the most rebounds by a Gator with four each while Wilcox was the leader in assists with five.

The Clippers were led to victory by sophomore forward Michael Hall Jr. who was all over the stat sheet with 17 points, six rebounds, and five assists. Hall received help from sophomore forward Asante Gaskin who chipped in 13 points and led the Clippers in assists with seven. For the game the Clippers shot 49 percent from the floor and had four players including Hall and Gaskin score in double figures.

Neither team could get anything going from three point territory as both teams shot under 32 percent from deep.

The Gators did however find luck on the boards as they out-rebounded the Clippers 37-35. They also managed to outscore the Clippers on points off of turnovers by a 12 point margin. Coming into Saturday’s action Green River had won four out of its last five games. Despite the loss the Gators did not fall very far in the race for the playoffs as they are now tied with Lower Columbia for the second best divisional record in the west.

This game between South Puget Sound and Green River was the first of three consecutive road games for the Gators who will need to perform well during this upcoming stretch if they want to remain in the hunt for the playoffs.