The Collegio Pittsburg's student voice since 1916
Curtis Meyer reporter
Pitt State had another undefeated week last weekend, posting wins at home against the Central Missouri Mules and Lincoln Blue Tigers. Picking up these two wins has put the Gorillas at 15-8, as they ride a six-game winning streak.
“Last week was very successful, as we went on that homestand for two games. Against two really good teams, against Lincoln we didn’t make many shots, so we had to win defensively. That was exciting for our team that we can win multiple ways,” said freshmen guard Jordan Frison.
Pitt State took the win 69-60, as they held the Mules to just 26 points in the second half, and just 34.4 percent shooting for the entire game. It was a balanced attack for the Gorillas, as they had 4 players post at least 14 points in the contest.
Sophomore guard Max Alexander led Pitt State with 17 points, while senior forward Deshaun English, senior guard Jeremy Shaw, and Frison each chipped in 14 points. English made some history, recording six blocked shots, just the second Pitt State player to do that all time.
“Like coach told us before the last game, we know what to do. We’ve been doing this for a minute, we know exactly what we are going to do. It’s nothing new, so we’ll just go out and do it,” said Frison.
Following the win, the Gorillas handled the Blue Tigers in dominant fashion, handing them a 75-56 loss. The defense once again came up big, keeping the Blue Tigers under 30 points in both halves.
English and Shaw each had 20 points in the win, as English put up his tenth double-double of the season with 13 rebounds. Shaw went four of five from deep in the contest. Frison chipped in 13 points and seven assists, while the team went 22 of 23 on free throw attempts, outscoring Lincoln 22-5 in that department.
“It’s getting to crunch time, end of the season time and that win streak now is just really important. We’re trying to keep this rolling, trying to keep our momentum pushing, getting ready for the end of the season and the MIAA tournament,” said Frison.
The Gorillas still have a lot of work to do to make an impact in the tournament, with five games remaining on the schedule, all of them MIAA opponents. Next Saturday features just a single game, as the Gorillas travel to Joplin to face the Missouri Southern Lions. Pitt State dropped their first matchup against the Lions, losing 74-81.
“We are really focused throughout the week, in the weight room during practice, not doing a lot of playing around. Getting focused, bringing energy. Just make sure we come ready to play against Missouri Southern, because we didn’t as much as we should’ve last game, so being able to come back and do that this time is really important,” said Frison.