By Nicholas Huenefeld/Owens Sports Information
Toledo, Ohio---Roy Hatchett Jr. (Glenville/Cleveland, Ohio) had a game-high 15 points as the No. 16 Owens Community College men's basketball team routed Washtenaw Community College 111-59 in the Student Health and Activities Center (SHAC) tonight.
In the opening minute, Kyle Van Dussen made a 3-pointer for Washtenaw that gave his team a 3-2 lead. Xavier Cochran (Ann Arbor Huron/Ypsilanti, Mich.) answered that with a driving, two-handed dunk down the left side of the lane to give Owens another lead, and they didn't relinquish it the rest of the game.
A few minutes later, Andre Foster (Trotwood-Madison/Dayton, Ohio) made a corner 3-pointer to finish an 8-0 run for Owens that gave them a 10-3 lead. D'Marcus Lewis made 1-for-2 from the foul line for Washtenaw to end the run, but another 8-0 run pushed his team's deficit to 14.
Later in the first half, Owens went on a 10-1 run to take a 38-18 lead with 6:25 remaining. The run was capped with a 3-pointer from Hatchett, who later made a free throw and a jumper to close the half and give Owens a 55-31 lead at the break.
Hatchett, a freshman point guard, had 11 of his 15 points in the first half. He buried 2-for-3 from 3-point range and 7-for-8 from the foul line overall, and he also led the team with three assists.
Owens opened the second half on a 12-5 run that featured six points from Dilyn Good (Springfield/Holland, Ohio). Moments later, Tony Stallworth (Chandler Park Academy/Detroit, Mich.) buried a 3-pointer from the right wing to give Owens a 35 point lead.
Down the stretch, Owens led by as many as 52 points en route to its second straight game hitting the century mark offensively.
Aside from Hatchett, the Owens offense produced a balanced attack with five players finishing in double figures. Furthermore, everyone had at least two points and the bench produced 63 points.
Charles Penn III (Macomb Dakota/Detroit, Mich.) finished second on the team in scoring with 14 points, while adding six rebounds and two assists over 17 minutes. He finished an efficient 3-for-5 from the field and 8-for-10 from the foul line.
Brian Walker (Ann Arbor Huron/Ypsilanti, Mich.) totaled 11 points and 11 rebounds in the second half alone en route to 11 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. He led all players with six offensive rebounds and finished 4-for-8 from the field.
Defensively, Owens had 11 blocks, led by four each from Stallworth and Good, who finished with 10 points and eight rebounds.
Derrik Jamerson Jr. (Cornerstone/Pontiac, Mich.) was the fifth player in double figures with 10. He added four rebounds and made 2-for-4 from 3-point range.
Washtenaw had three players reach double figures, led by Bryce Moon with 12. Tawquan Guyton and Michael Kimball added 11 each.
The game featured plenty of free throws and fouls. The two teams combined to go 47-for-73 from the foul line, with Owens attempt 49 of those. Washtenaw had three players foul out as the game featured 56 total fouls.
As a team, Owens finished 36-for-79 (45.6 percent) from the field, while outrebounding Washtenaw 67-34 overall and 31-15 on the offensive end. Defensively, Owens also forced 25 turnovers from the visitors.
Owens is now 1-1 overall. They will host the Tip Off Classic this weekend beginning with an 8 p.m. matchup on Saturday against Jamestown (NY) Community College. They finish the weekend against Wayne County Community College at 3 p.m. on Sunday.