GLENVILLE, W. Va. – Malik Jacobs resumed his hot shooting and the Urbana University men’s basketball team fended off a late run to clip Glenville State 63-57 on the road Saturday afternoon.
With the win, UU improved to 3-10 overall and 2-6 against conference teams. It was the first pair of back-to-back victories since the first week of January a year ago. The Blue Knights defeated the Pioneers (2-11, 1-7 MEC) for the second straight year at the Waco Center.
Stat Leaders
Jacobs scored 19 of his 25 points in the second half and went 5 of 9 from three-point range with six rebounds. The junior transfer has been lighting it up of late, averaging 24.6 points over the past five games on 64-percent shooting overall and a 67.9-percent mark from three-point range. He tied his career-high with five threes on Saturday and has drained three or more treys per game during his recent tear.
Despite a 1-of-11 shooting effort, senior guard Carlas Jackson still managed to reach double digits with 10 points (8-10 FT) and grabbed a season-high seven boards. Junior guard Roy Hatchett Jr. chipped in with eight points and a team-high four steals, while sophomore guard Ethan Snapp and freshman forward Abdul Kanu each added seven points. Senior forward AJ Washington dominated the glass with a game-high 10 rebounds and three blocks.
Glenvile State’s Jon Dunmyer led the Pioneers with 20 points while Darhius Nunn scored 14.
Game Summary
Despite a season-low 19 made shots, UU buckled down and limited GSC to 18 field goals (season-low for an opponent) while grabbing a season-high 42 rebounds. The Blue Knights seemed poised to control the game down the stretch, but UU went cold and did not make a shot over the final nine minutes of action.
After Jacobs gave UU its largest lead (54-39) on his 3-pointer at the 9:16 mark, the Blue Knights went 0 for 9 from the field. The Pioneers responded after that shot and rattled off a furious 13-1 run with nine points scored by Dunmyer, which included a 3-pointer to slice UU’s lead to three, 55-52, with under four minutes left.
UU adjusted and the lead proved just large enough as the Blue Knights took advantage of opportunities at the line by nailing all eight free-throw attempts in the final minutes.
In the first half, UU jumped out in front thanks to an 11-0 run capped by a Kanu layup to give the Blue Knights a 13-4 lead. It was a low scoring half as UU limited GSC to 28-percent shooting and led the Pioneers 28-21 for its fifth halftime advantage of the season.
GSC got to within two points when an early second-half jumper made it 29-27, but a Washington putback layup and Jacobs dunk sparked a 9-0 UU run to regain the momentum.
UU finished shooting 36 percent overall and kept GSC at 32 percent overall and only 22 percent from deep. The Pioneers outscored the Blue Knights 41-13 from bench players.
Up Next
UU will host the first home games of 2018 this week, starting with Thursday night’s matchup against Fairmont State (10-4, 6-2 MEC). Tipoff in the Grimes Center is slated for 7:30 p.m.
