CANCUN, Mexico The Citadel Bulldogs (4-3) were hot from behind the arc in their 55-41 victory over the Grambling State Tigers (1-4) Sunday afternoon to conclude the Cancun Challenge Tournament. The Bulldogs shot 46.2 percent from the 3-point line with Zach Urbanus leading the Bulldogs in 3-point field goals.
Urbanus had a game-high of 15 points, with all 15 coming from behind the arc. Cameron Wells recorded his second double-double of the season with 10 points and a career-high of 14 rebounds. Wells dished five assists on the offensive end, while Bryan Streeter contributed on defense with two blocks.
“I am so proud of our team,” said head coach Ed Conroy. “We did a great job hanging on to the ball. Grambling definitely threw different things at us, and we did a great job of adjusting. Our defense was so solid and our box outs were great, which allowed Cameron to get in there and grab some rebounds.”
The Citadel forced 12 turnovers against the Tigers and was able to capitalize on those turnovers. The Tigers forced the Bulldogs to turn the ball over just nine times. On the boards, the Bulldogs grabbed 30 rebounds, compared to the Tigers' 25. Off the bench, the Bulldogs outscored the Tigers, 22-17.
“Our defense is a work in progress, but our guys do a great job of following scouting reports,” added Conroy. “Eleven guys played in the second half, which added depth that we needed today. Even our fans got into it behind us, which helped keep our confidence going.”
Grambling State earned a spot on the scoreboard first after Ariece Perkins hit a 3-pointer to start the game. The Bulldogs responded right back with a 3-pointer from the corner by Matt Clark. George Akpele hit a jumper in the paint to put the Tigers back in front, but an Austin Dahn 3-pointer would give the Bulldogs their first lead of the game. Akpele hit another jumper to put the Tigers back in the lead. With 12:47 on the clock, Demetrius Nelson was sent to the foul line to shoot two shots. He hit both to put the Bulldogs back in control.
A layup by Marcus Coleman would tie the game at 13-13 for the third tie of the game. A basket by Wells put the Bulldogs back in front. The Tigers quickly responded back with a shot by Andrew Prestley to tie the score at 15-15 for the fourth time in the game. There would be one more tie before the Bulldogs took control. With the Bulldogs up 19-18 after a layup by Streeter, the Tigers hit a free throw at 4:05 to tie the score. Jarred Riley hit the second free throw to take the lead, 20-19.
Eykyn answered the Tigers' lead with a 3-pointer at 3:23 to put the Bulldogs back on top, and The Citadel never looked back. A 3-pointer by Dahn, a layup by Streeter and 3-pointer by Urbanus would put a damper on the Tigers' hopes of taking the lead before halftime. With the Bulldogs up, 30-20, the Tigers would only get one more basket before halftime, which was a 3-pointer by Ibrahim Kpaka. The Bulldogs would respond back with another 3-pointer by Urbanus to keep the Bulldogs ahead by 10 with a 33-23 lead.
The Bulldogs had 17 rebounds at halftime. Eight of their nine turnovers took place in the first half. Wells led the Bulldogs at the half with seven points. Urbanus and Dahn each had six. As a team, the Bulldogs were shooting 52.2 percent from the field and 53.8 percent from behind the arc. The Bulldog defense held the Tigers under 39 percent from the field.
Tyrell McDowell hit a layup to open the second half, extending the Bulldog lead to 12. The second half belonged to the Bulldogs, who had the lead the entire half and only let the Tigers get within nine. The Bulldogs led by as many as 17 in the half.
A jumper by Prestley with 15:31 on the clock, put the Tigers within nine, but an Urbanus 3-pointer would extend the lead to 12. A foul by Dahn on a Prestley 3-pointer would put him on the line for three shots. Prestley sunk all three to put the Tigers back within nine. Nelson responded with a layup and Wells followed with a 3-pointer to put the Bulldogs up by 14.
The Citadel continued to stay in control of the game and kept the pressure on the Tiger offense. The Tigers had a hard time managing against the Bulldog pressure. With 4:29 on the clock, Urbanus, who was unstoppable from behind the arc, hit another 3-pointer to give the Bulldogs their largest lead of the game, a 17-point advantage.
Two free throws by Riley cut the lead to 15, but a foul shot by Eykyn would extend the lead to 16. The Tigers managed to hit one more shot with 1:35 on the clock to give the Bulldogs a 55-41 lead. For the last minute and a half, the Bulldogs took over and controlled the clock. The Citadel took away a 55-41 victory.
Overall, The Citadel played a much better game than previous, shooting 41.7 percent from the field and 75 percent from the foul line. Even though the Bulldogs didn't have many opportunities to shoot free throws, they hit three of their four, which came from Eykyn and Nelson.
The Citadel improves to 4-3 on the season, which marks the first time since 2006 that the Bulldogs started the season off 4-3. In 2006, the Bulldogs were coached by Pat Dennis and ended the season with a 10-21 record.
“We were able to perform like we can,” continued Conroy. “This was a great experience for us and it gives us a chance to build on our confidence going into conference play this week.”
The Bulldogs return to Charleston on Monday, Dec.1 and then head up to North Carolina later in the week to open Southern Conference action. The Citadel will face UNC Greensboro on Thursday, Dec. 4 at 7 p.m., followed by Elon on Saturday, Dec. 6 at 7 p.m.
For more information on Bulldog Basketball, visit the official website of The Citadel Athletics at www.CitadelSports.com.
