It was a bit of a rough week for the Gorillas, as they began the first three games of a five-game homestand. It will be the Gorillas’ last five home games of the season, during a crucial stretch as they look to make a run towards the MIAA tournament.
The Gorillas began their homestand hosting the Missouri Western Griffons, but came up short, 78-70, against the Griffons. The Griffons held a razor thin two-point margin against the Gorillas at halftime, but Pitt State was unable to close the divide, getting outscored 38-32 in the second half of the game.
Junior Connor Rogers scored a team-leading 20 points for the Gorillas on seven of 18 shooting from the floor. Freshman Mason English hit five 3-pointers and finished with 19 points and six assists, while redshirt junior Donald Coats chipped in with 14 points and nine rebounds. Pitt State was held to 41.8 percent shooting (28-67) and Western owned a 41-29 edge in rebounding in the contest.
Following the close loss, Pitt State was able to rebound with a last-minute win over the Northwest Bearcats on Saturday. Northwest led at halftime 37-33, but Pitt State was able to overcome the deficit, thanks to a game-winning three by freshman Ethan Sage with just 41 seconds left. Some tight defense forcing a couple of missed shots by the Bearcats allowed Pitt State to take the win. Sage made nine of 12 shots from the field and posted a game-high 19 points. Mason English added 17 points and Donald Coats finished with nine points and a career best 17 rebounds.
The Gorillas ended the homestand hosting rivals Missouri Southern on Monday night. The Gorillas trailed for the majority of the game, down 34-26 at halftime, before making a late comeback bid. Pitt State would find themselves just four points behind, 74-70, with 51 seconds left, but the Lions would sink several free throws to end the game with a 83-75 win. Rogers led Pitt State with 19 points, while English added 17 points. Sage chipped in with 16 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots. The Gorillas shot 42.9 percent (32-59) from the field in the game.
“To me, it all stems from the first half; they were the hungrier team. About the 12-10 mark, they out-toughed us. We complained about foul calls instead of getting back into transition defense. Everything they did tonight was just out toughing us,” head coach Jeff Boschee said.
The Gorillas now have just four games left in the season, sitting 8-7 in the conference, tied with Missouri Southern and Central Oklahoma. The Gorillas sit at seventh overall in the conference and will need to win some more games to put themselves ahead of the stiff MIAA competition.
“We are all desperate right now. We are all trying to fight to get out of this jumbled mess in the standings and try to make our way to Kansas City,” Coach Boschee said after the game.