By Nicholas Huenefeld/Owens Sports Information
Toledo, Ohio---Jaylen Tucker (Northland/Columbus, Ohio) led six players in double figure scoring as the Owens Community College men's basketball team routed Washtenaw Community College 118-61 in the Student Health and Activities Center this afternoon.
Owens is now 3-0 on the season, and they will be back in action on Wednesday at No. 6 Schoolcraft College beginning at 7:30 p.m.
Tucker, who played just 21 minutes, finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds while shooting 10-for-12 from the field. He produced his third straight double-double to open the season and finished just one rebound shy of reaching that feat in the first half. He is now averaging 17.3 points and 13.3 rebounds to open the season.
Early on, the teams traded runs offensively. Tucker and Ty'Rese Searles (Cornerstone/Pontiac, Mich.) combined for the first four points before Shondell Jackson (Warren Harding/Warren, Ohio) took a pass on a fast break and threw down a two-handed dunk to give Owens a 6-0 lead.
Washtenaw responded with the next six points over less than a minute, but Owens answered with a 9-0 run to take a 15-6 lead with 14:50 left in the half and never trailed in the game. Mason Durden (Whitmer/Toledo, Ohio) started the run with a layup in traffic. Marquevious Wilson (Lima Senior/Lima, Ohio) then converted a 3-point play before back-to-back buckets from Rico Stafford (Lima Senior/Lima, Ohio) and Jackson completed the run.
After Owens padded the lead a bit, Washtenaw's Donovan Verges converted a layup with 10:04 left to pull his team within 14. That's when Tucker made a layup and then threw down a highlight dunk in traffic to start a 7-0 run that was capped with a pair of free throws from Durden.
A 3-pointer from Roy Hatchett Jr. (Glenville/Cleveland, Ohio) bumped the lead up to 51-27 with 4:25 left. Then, following a 3-pointer from Washtenaw's Charles McKinney, Owens closed the half on an 11-0 run to take a 62-30 lead into the break. Jackson started and finished the run, and he scored seven of the 11 points.
Tucker and Jackson combined for 33 of their team's 62 points in the first half on 14-for-19 shooting. Owens scored 62 points in the half, as well, despite shooting just 2-for-14 from 3-point range.
Tucker opened the second half's scoring with a layup to complete a 13-0 run. Moments later, Washtenaw's Sean Morris made a layup on a fast break to pull his team within 30 and force a timeout from Owens.
Owens completed an 8-0 run that was capped by a Jamiri Bennett (Maumee/Toledo, Ohio) jumper with 12:30 left for an 80-42 lead. Washtenaw was able to hover around a 30-point deficit until a 9-0 run gave Owens a 40 point lead with 7:47 left. That run was highlighted by another 3-pointer from Jackson.
Then, with the lead still at 40, Owens went on a 14-2 run. A 3-pointer from Searles pushed Owens over the century mark, and Luke Mayer's (Davidson/Hilliard, Ohio) layup made it 108-56 with 3:43 left.
After Verges hit a jumper to end that run, Owens closed the game with a 10-3 spurt to finish off the win.
Outside of Tucker's 23 points, Jackson contributed 19 points on 8-for-15 shooting, while Bennett chipped in a season-high 14 points off the bench on 5-for-6 shooting. Wilson added 13, Mayer had 11 and Derrik Jamerson Jr. (Cornerstone/Pontiac, Mich.) had 10. Tucker's 11 rebounds was also a team-high, although Derek Reece Jr. (Springfield/Toledo, Ohio) added 10 off the bench. Three others added six apiece.
Searles (8) and Hatchett Jr. (6) led the team in assists, while three others had three apiece off the bench. Durden and Wilson each chipped in a team-high three steals.
As a team, Owens finished 41-for-72 (56.9 percent) from the field, forced 24 turnovers and held Washtenaw to a 3-for-33 (9.1 percent) finish from 3-point range.
Notes
Tucker, Bennett, Wilson, Durden (7 pts) and Mayer all recorded new season-highs in scoring today.