by Geoff Roberts/Owens Sports Information

Piqua, Ohio---The Express men's basketball team picked up a commanding 105-70 road win over the Edison Community College Chargers on Wednesday evening in a tale of two very different teams with two very different seasons.

Bikramjit Gill (Our Ascension Of The Lord/Toronto, Ontario) led the Express in scoring with 24 points and also contributed 11 rebounds, five steals and two blocks, all in just 17 minutes on the court.  Gill shot 10-for-12 (83.3 percent) from the field.  The big man was an integral part of the 60 points in-the-paint that the Express got in the game. 

It was fitting that the scoring started from the hands of Gill.  He put home the first points of the game off a steal by Tony Boykins (Loy Norrix/Kalamazoo, Mich.) at the 19:07 mark.  This would give the Express the lead which they held onto for the rest of the tilt.

The Express commenced the game with a 10-0 run.  Almost halfway through the first half, the Express had a 27-9 lead before an Aaron Bellegraph layup finally put the Chargers into double-digits at the 11:32 mark.  The Express ended the half with a 57-26 lead.

Gill also kicked off the scoring in the second half for the Express with a free throw.  It was all Express from there on and they cruised their way to a 105-70 win.

Beyond Gill, the Express got a 16-point performance from Markese Allen (Crockett/Detroit, Mich.).  The guard also played above his size, snatching eight rebounds.  The Express bench players got extended playing time in the matchup and did not disappoint. 

Edmond Early Jr. (Thurgood Marshall/Dayton, Ohio) also made the most of his time on the court, shooting 6-for-12 from the field and 1-for-3 from the line for 14 points.  Kenny Jones (Clay H.S./South Bend, Ind.) also had a strong game off the bench, contributing 10 points and seven rebounds.

The Express shot 40-for-74 (54.1 percent) from the field as a team, and 19-for-31 (61.3 percent) in the second half alone.  Also as a team, the Express came away with 53 rebounds.

The win pushes the Express to 8-1 in the Ohio Community College Athletic Conference (OCCAC), and 21-5 overall.  On the other side, the Chargers remain winless in the OCCAC at 0-10 and winless overall at 0-16.    

Notes

The Express remain in second place, but tied for first place in the loss column, in the OCCAC behind Cincinnati State Technical and Community College (10-1 OCCAC, 24-3 overall).

The Express will play their final home game of the season on Saturday against Columbus State Community College at the Student Health and Activities Center (SHAC) at 7 p.m. The Express women's basketball team will also battle Columbus State at 5 p.m. 

Gill picked up his fourth straight double-double, as well as his sixth in the past seven games.