Oklahoma Panhandle State University

Box Score Goodwell, Okla.—An exciting 107-79 victory over Ecclesia College Saturday evening gave the Panhandle State men's basketball team their fourth win of the season.

The Aggies put up a strong performance on all fronts and got great games from the transfer talents of sophomore Jace Kerr (Central Okla.) and junior Riyadh Asad (Miles CC), whose combined efforts accounted for more than half of Panhandle's points. Kerr earned a double-double with a team-high of ten rebounds and a game-high of 30 points; Asad had a break-out game beyond the arc scoring 25 points on seven successful three-pointers an inside shot and two free throws. The dynamic duo averaged 67 percent in shooting from the field and didn't miss a shot from the line.

As a team the Aggies were averaging 54 percent from the field in first-half shooting with Kerr and Asad adding 28 of the team's 47 points before the break. At halftime Panhandle held a 15-points advantage as the Royals struggled to sink long-distance shots; Ecclesia went 2-14 from three-point range during the first half of the game.

Asad opened with his third three of the game with an assist from Pierre Roddy to start the second half. Roddy then dished out two more assists on consecutive layups by Kerr and Sita Sesay, pulling the Aggies ahead by 19 points. Asad then hit a hot streak at the 16:24 mark and hit four of four three-point attempts in a row, igniting the Aggie offense and sparking a surge of energy in the crowd. Kerr then added six points on two layups and two free throws, and a long-distance shot from Bowen Nyberg edged the Aggies out to a 30-point lead (76-46) with twelve minutes still left in the game. Panhandle kept a healthy distance through the remainder of the game with the help of strong shooting from the line and effective bench-play that added 16 points in the final eight minutes.

While Ecclesia led the board game by eight rebounds (46-38), Panhandle dominated in the paint taking 52 points off inside shots; the Royals scored 32 points in the paint. The Aggies also won the turnover battle with only eight lost balls in the game; twelve steals off 17 Ecclesia turnovers helped the Aggies add 24 points to the board.

Ecclesia's DQ Bagsby held the team-high in scoring for the Royals, and Chris White came through with a big performance from the bench earning a double-double with 14 points and a game-high of 12 rebounds.
In all six Aggies scored in double-digit points with Kerr and Asad leading the pack. Starters Pierre Roddy, Devonta Brooks, Sita Sesay each totaled ten points along with freshman Bowen Nyberg who added ten from the bench. Roddy also led the game in assists with nine and Brooks led the team with two blocks. Freshman Jaedon Whitfield found consistency in fives taking five rebounds, five steals and five points in the game. Brooks and Sesay also contributed at the boards with six rebounds each.

Sesay was injured during the game after a fast-break, high-flying dunk saw him collide mid-air with a Royals defender. The senior forward was secured on the scene and transported to the Guymon Hospital where he underwent thorough testing before being released early Sunday morning. Sesay is in good condition, but suffered heavy bruising and minor contusions that required stitches. Both Sesay and Head Coach Jerry Olson were thankful to the first responder crew as well as the crowd for their thoughtfulness and prayers.

As for the game, Olson was happy with the win saying, "I was really pleased with how we kept our focus and didn't let them back in the game. I was also really pleased with our field goal defensive; we held them to 35 percent shooting." With 24 assists in the game the coach gave credit across the board, "We were really unselfish," reiterating his words from last game, "when we share the ball, we can do great things." Coach Olson also applauded the excellent efforts of Kerr and Asad commenting, "That really got us going. Bowen Nyberg also stepped up early with two deep threes." The coach also gave a shout out to Aggie fans saying, "Our crowd was really great again. That really helps!"

Fans can look forward to two men's matchups this week starting with a Wednesday night game against Manhattan Christian College at 8 p.m. Dec. 7 followed up with a Sunday double-header on Dec. 11. The men's team will take on Southwestern Oklahoma State Sunday at 3 p.m. and the Aggie women will play Rockhurst earlier at 1 p.m. All remaining home games in December will offer fans a chance to show their holiday spirit by donating items to the Aggies CAN Make a Difference Food Drive and to the Panhandle State Softball Clothing Drive.