By Nicholas Huenefeld/Owens Sports Information
Toledo, Ohio---Rico Stafford (Lima Senior/Lima, Ohio) and Marquevious Wilson (Lima Senior/Lima, Ohio) combined for 34 points to lead the Owens Community College men's basketball team past Clark State Community College 87-52 in the Student Health and Activities Center (SHAC) this afternoon.
With the win, Owens is now 14-5 overall and 5-1 in Ohio Community College Athletic Conference (OCCAC) play. They have won five straight heading into Wednesday's road game at Lakeland Community College.
Stafford tied his season-high in scoring with 21 on 9-for-11 shooting, while adding six rebounds, five steals, two assists and a block. Wilson went 6-for-7 from the field and finished with 13 points, six steals, five assists and four rebounds.
Owens scored the game's first six points, and then Stafford reeled off six straight, including a fast break dunk on a pass from Wilson, to help give Owens a 14-3 lead just six minutes into the game.
A little later, Wilson scored seven straight, all on assists from Roy Hatchett Jr. (Glenville/Cleveland, Ohio), to push the lead to 16. The lead became 28 with 5:12 left in the half following five straight points from Stafford, a layup from Mason Durden (Whitmer/Toledo, Ohio) and a layup from Wilson.
Owens closed the half on a 12-4 run to take a 52-18 lead. Derrik Jamerson Jr. (Cornerstone/Pontiac, Mich.) hit a 3-pointer just before the buzzer on another assist from Hatchett.
James Grays (Start/Toledo, Ohio) opened the second half with a dunk as Owens scored 13 of the first 18 points. Another three-point play from Jamiri Bennett (Maumee/Maumee, Ohio) and a layup from Durden made it 65-23 just four minutes into the half.
Hatchett hit a 3-pointer with 4:51 left to push the lead to 39 before Clark State went on an 13-1 run to trim its deficit to 27 with just under two minutes left. Owens, however, closed the game on a 8-0 run to close out the win.
Outside of Stafford and Wilson, Hatchett added 11 points and nine assists, while Grays had a season-high 12 points along with four rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocks.
Jamerson had his streak of double digit scoring games snapped at 18 as he finished with six points, seven rebounds, three steals and two blocks. He did, however, extend his streak of at least one 3-pointer made to 43 straight games dating back to Nov. 21 of last season.
Durden (9) and Shondell Jackson (Warren Harding/Warren, Ohio) combined for 17 points off the bench.
Derrick McGowan (16) and Vejer Cox (15) led Clark State in scoring. Cox added a team-high seven rebounds.