Story courtesy of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College Athletics
RICHMOND, Ind. — The St. Mary-of-the-Woods College men's basketball team continued its dominant season with a 79-55 road victory over Indiana University East in the River States Conference (RSC) Game of the Week on Thursday, February 8. The win improved the Pomeroys to 21-3 on the season and 11-1 in conference play.
Six-time RSC Defender of the Week, Shon Tupuola, made history in the victory, breaking his own school record for rebounds with an astounding 26 boards. Tupuola's performance also included 14 points, further solidifying his place as one of the conference's top players.
The River States Conference Regular Season Champion earns an automatic bid into the NAIA Nationals Tournament as well as home court advantage in the RSC Tournament later this month. With four regular season contests remaining, the Pomeroys now own a two-game lead in the standings with the tiebreaker as they look to advance to the NAIA Nationals for the second consecutive season.
Top Performances:
Greg Jenkins led the Pomeroys in scoring with 22 points, shooting 7-of-18 from the field and 7-of-7 from the free-throw line.
Greg Johnson added 11 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists.
Taray Howell contributed 11 points and 2 assists in 16 minutes off the bench.
DaMeriz Merriweather provided a strong bench presence with 10 points and 9 rebounds.
The Pomeroys opened the game strong, taking a 37-28 lead into halftime. They then extended their advantage in the second half, outscoring IU-East 42-27 to secure the 79-55 win.
The win marked a total team effort, with SMWC shooting 42.3% from the field and a perfect 13-of-13 from the free-throw line. They dominated in the paint, scoring 46 points inside, and capitalized on second-chance opportunities with 23 points off offensive rebounds.
The second half opened with a flurry of missed shots, but SMWC quickly reasserted control. After an early exchange of missed layups, Greg Jenkins sparked the Woods' offense, converting a pair of free throws to extend their lead to 39-28. Jenkins, who finished with 16 points, continued to shine, adding a layup at the 16:32 mark to push the lead to 41-28.
IU-East struggled to break through the SMWC defense, as shots from DeWayne Robinson and Antuane Allen failed to cut into the deficit. The Woods capitalized with timely buckets from Jenkins and a three-pointer from Taray Howell, who contributed 12 points. Howell's 3-pointer at 12:11 stretched the lead to 50-36, and a three from Jenkins at 11:43 furthered the gap to 53-36.
SMWC's defense remained airtight, with several steals, including a crucial takeaway by Dameriz Merriweather that set up a three-pointer by Howell for a 57-39 lead. The Woods continued to bury IU-East's efforts, with Shon Tupuola adding two emphatic dunks and a layup to make it 67-46 with just under six minutes remaining.
Despite late efforts by Caleb Maurer and Jameer Ajibade, who chipped in with a three-pointer and a layup, SMWC's lead never dipped below 19 points after the 9:06 mark. The Woods sealed the win with solid free-throw shooting, finishing strong with Merriweather adding two more free throws to make it 76-51 with 2:21 remaining.