Hornets bounce back with win over Subiaco
EDITOR’S NOTE: Because the look back at each day in Bryant athletic history has been so favorably received during the time when there was no sports during the COVID-19 shutdown, BryantDaily.com will continueposting past stories of Bryant athletics either posted on BryantDaily.com (from 2009 to the present) or published in the Bryant Times (from 1998 to 2008).
By Bridget Bauer
FORT SMITH — Bryant decided to try something different Friday against the Subiaco Trojans in the loser’s bracket of the 2013 Coke Classic held at the UAFS Stubblefield Center. The result was a 70-59 victory and a shot to win the consolation bracket.
The Hornets (4-5) began the contest with more pressure than they usually do. The extra movement allowed them to jump out to a 12-5 lead they never relinquished. A 21-15 first-quarter lead swelled in the second stanza to 29-18 on Romen Martin’s basket underneath. Bryant led at the half, 35-28.
“We watched them last night against Northside (Fort Smith) and saw what Northside was doing to them,” Bryant Coach Mike Abrahamson said. “Not that we are Northside, but I noticed the officiating has loosened the last three to four weeks. I thought if we got after it we could get some easy shots. I was hoping starting out like that would give us energy on offense and defense.”
Abrahamson knew Subiaco (4-5) had watched his team prior to Thursday’s game against Springdale and realized the Trojans were prepared for Bryant’s zone. So, he decided to throw in some other things the Hornets had been working on to catch Subiaco off guard.
The Hornets had a little lapse to start the third period as they allowed the Trojans to open the quarter with two quick baskets underneath that reduced their advantage to 35-33. At the 6:10 mark, Bryant just owned a 37-36 margin but ended the quarter with a 21-9 scoring spurt to take a 58-45 margin going into the fourth period.
C.J. Rainey gave the Hornets a double-digit lead, 49-39, on his layup, and Desmond Duckwork’s 3-point basket with 40 seconds left in the quarter increased their advantage to 56-42.
Bryant’s biggest cushion was by 15, 65-50, on Rainey short pull-up jumper with 4:45 left in the fourth period.
“I was hoping to get up by like 25,” Abrahamson said. “We need that experience on not putting up shots and pulling out. I talked to the guys at halftime about playing with urgency and more energy and passion. We respected Subiaco. They are a good team with two big studs and are well coached.”
Seven players scored for the Hornets including four who reached double figures. Rainey led the quartet with 21 points followed by Duckworth’s 15. Greyson Giles contributed 12 points, and Martin finished with 11.
“Earlier, we weren’t doing that,” Abrahamson said. “C.J. and Greyson were scoring a lot. We’ve had others with talent and others who are developing.”
Bryant faces Arkadelphia, a 57-41 winner over Fort Smith Southside, in Saturday’s consolation finals at 2:45 p.m.
Bryant 21-14-23-12—70
Subiaco 16-12-17-14—59
Bryant: CJ Rainey 21, Desmond Duckworth 15, Greyson Giles 12, Romen Martin 11, Kevin Hunt 7, Caleb Strain 2, Cedarrian Crosby 2.
Subiaco: Crash Krueger 22, Chris Reed 17, Jon Vines 7, David Johnson 7, Kelly Hollis 2, Evan Strobel 2, Kamron Hurst 1, Christian Lowery 1.
