Heading into the week, Point Park basketball was nationally ranked 21st in the NAIA division. The Pioneers also sat atop the River States Conference (RSC). With that, the Pioneers have a big target on their back, as they are the team everybody wants to beat.
Thursday night, the Pioneers beat a top team in the RSC in which the St.Mary-Woods Pomeroys fell to an overall record of 14-5. The Pioneers handed the Pomeroys their first conference loss all season in a thrilling game.
At first, the Pioneers struggled out the gate to find a rhythm, and they found themselves down by seven to end the first half. The score was 36-29 to open up the half. The boys wasted no time and meant business in the second half of the game. Five minutes into the second half, they took a 44-42 lead thanks to a three-point shot from Jalen Stamps, who finished the game with a team-leading 20 points. Both teams would continue to fight back and forth, as Pomeroy’s leading scorer Cobie Barnes would not let his team slip too far behind.
The Pioneers were just too much to handle, as they went on a 10-2 run to pull away in this game up 65-58. Pioneer fans also made an impact on the final result, with CCAC-Allegheny erupting in the final minutes of the game. The Pioneers won this game with a final score of 77-70 and improved to 19-1.
Saturday was a completely different story and not a good one. The IU Kokomo Cougars played at Point Park’s home court and controlled the game from the start of tip-off. Heading into the game, the Cougars were 4-5 in conference play. That did not matter, as the Cougars brought the energy. The player who stood out the most was number 15 of the Cougars, Max Newman, who dropped 32 points on a shocked Pioneer squad.
The Pioneers were on a 25-game home streak going into Saturday, but the hole was too big to come out of, as in the first six minutes the Pioneers were down 20-6. Max Newman made five three-pointers and remained on fire throughout the first six minutes of the game. The Pioneers never figured it out, and were down 20 points at the first half with a score of 44-24 Cougars.
On Thursday, the Pioneers were down at the half and came back. This would not be the case against the Cougars, as they continued to bring their best game of the season. Although the Pioneers did play a lot better in the second half, outscoring the Cougars 45 to 40 and cutting the deficit down to 12, it was too little too late. The Pioneers lost 84-69 to IU Kokomo.
The Pioneers now sit 19-2 overall and have fallen to the number 23 spot in the NAIA national rankings. Their next game will be Tuesday, January 30 against Ohio Christian. It will be the first time these two teams meet this season and the Pioneers hope to bounce back against a struggling Ohio Christian team that currently has a 10-11 record.
