By Nicholas Huenefeld/Owens Sports Information

Toledo, Ohio---The Owens Community College men's basketball team scored the first 16 points of the game en route to a 103-89 win over Lakeland Community College in the Student Health and Activities Center (SHAC) tonight.

Owens is now 20-8 overall and 10-4 in Ohio Community College Athletic Conference (OCCAC) play. The 20-win season is the program's fifth over the past six years and the 29th in program history, and the team clinched the No. 3 seed in the upcoming Region XII District 11 tournament with the win. Next up is a road trip to Clark State Community College on Saturday for a 3 p.m. matchup.

Derrik Jamerson Jr. (Cornerstone/Pontiac, Mich.) paced Owens with a team-high 18 points, while adding 10 rebounds and two steals. Marquevious Wilson (Lima Senior/Lima, Ohio) also had a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Roy Hatchett Jr. (Glenville/Cleveland, Ohio) had a game-high 12 assists along with his seven points.

Shondell Jackson (Warren Harding/Warren, Ohio) chipped in 17 points, and James Grays (Start/Toledo, Ohio) had 11 points and six rebounds. Rico Stafford (Lima Senior/Lima, Ohio) was the fifth and final player in double figures with 10 points in just 16 minutes.

Lakeland (7-16, 3-11 OCCAC), who dressed just five players, was led by Jeramie Burge's game-high 35 points. Crysjawn Waters (21), Da'ron Falkner (20) and Louis Wisnyai (10) also scored in double figures.

Hatchett assisted on the first six field goals for Owens as his team led 16-0 through the game's first four and a half minutes. Stafford had six of his 10 points during the run, while Jamerson produced eight points.

A jumper from Wisnyai pulled Lakeland within 14 two minutes later, but Jackson buried a pair of 3-pointers, and Grays converted two layups as Owens went on a 9-0 run to take a 41-15 lead with 8:54 left in the half.

Wilson scored six points in the final 1:34 of the half to spur an 8-2 run that gave Owens a 59-34 lead.

Owens steadily remained ahead by 15 to 20 points in the second half. Jamerson's 3-pointer with 2:58 left pushed the lead to as many as 28 before Lakeland scored 16 of the final 18 points of the game.

NOTES

With the victory, Owens completed the season sweep of Lakeland after a 103-53 win on the road Jan. 25.

Jamerson finished 4-for-7 from 3-point range to inch closer to breaking both of the program's season records. He now needs four more made 3-pointers and 47 more attempts to break each record. He is on pace to break the program's single season 3-point field goal percentage record, and he has a chance at the career percentage mark. 

On top of that, Jamerson eclipsed 900 career points in tonight's win. He sits at 913 with two regular season games remaining.

Owens has now won four of its past five games and 11 of its past 14 games.

As the No. 3 seed, Owens will be hosting a quarterfinal game in the Region XII District 11 tournament on March 7. The time and opponent will be announced at a later date.

Owens head coach Dennis Springs was suspended for tonight's game. The team was led by Owens women's basketball coaches Mike Llanas and Stephen Perry.