The Josh Mawhorr Era for the College of the Ozarks Men's Basketball Team starts out successfully with a road win to open the season.
Mawhorr, who takes over this season for Steve Shepherd who stepped away to focus on his duties as the school's Athletic Director, starts the season with an 83-64 win at Crowley's Ridge.
The full release on the game is below from College of the Ozarks Sports Information:
College of the Ozarks (1-0) built a 28-point second-half lead, then answered a late rally with an 8-0 closing run to defeat Crowley’s Ridge (AR) (0-2) 83-64 on Monday, Nov. 2, at Carter Activities Center in Paragould, Arkansas. The Bobcats shot 54.2% from the field.
Bryce Butler opened the scoring with a layup before Cole Nichols’ 3-pointer gave Crowley’s Ridge its only lead, 5-4. Themba Tshuma answered with a layup off Brenley Hagewood’s assist at 16:13 to put the Bobcats ahead for good. Sammy Smith’s layup off a pass from Brady Reynolds established a 19-8 advantage, but Kyzer Phillips cut the margin to 21-13 with a 3-pointer at 10:55. Andrew Dalton responded with a layup on the next scoring possession.
Jaiden Wilson added a 3-pointer with 2:52 left in the first half, and Tshuma’s layup with a minute remaining sent the Bobcats into halftime ahead 42-26. Tshuma scored 13 points before the break and Dalton added 12. Tshuma finished with 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting and six rebounds, while Dalton totaled 15 points, eight assists and five rebounds.
Butler drove the second-half surge, scoring 14 of their 18 points after halftime. A steal and layup by Butler preceded Landen Campbell’s 3-pointer for a 51-30 lead. Wilson’s steal later led to another Butler layup, and Butler hit a 3-pointer at 12:44 to stretch the margin to 63-35. Hagewood restored the 28-point cushion with a layup at 11:45. Butler finished 8-of-12 from the field with six rebounds.
Crowley’s Ridge responded with a 10-0 run capped by Phillips’ basket at 7:58. Dalton ended the Bobcats’ drought with a layup, but Malik Escoffery brought the hosts within 68-56 with five minutes left. Garrett Snyder answered with a layup and finished with eight points. After an Ozarks turnover, David Brewer scored at 2:13 to make it 75-64, the hosts’ closest second-half margin.
Tshuma stopped the rally with an offensive rebound and layup at 1:58, then scored again off Dalton’s assist at 1:36. Hagewood made both free throws at 1:23, and Butler converted Dalton’s pass into the game’s final basket at 1:03. Hagewood finished with eight points, four rebounds and four assists. Wilson contributed four assists and three steals, while Reynolds collected six rebounds.
The Bobcats outscored Crowley’s Ridge 52-36 in the paint and recorded 19 assists while holding the hosts to 32.4% shooting. Crowley’s Ridge countered with a 40-37 rebounding edge, including 16 offensive boards, and a 13-7 advantage in second-chance points. Nichols led the hosts with 15 points, Phillips added 10 and Escoffery finished with nine points and seven rebounds.
The Bobcats continue in non-conference play this Saturday at 3:15 PM when they host Ecclesia College for the annual College of the Ozarks Homecoming game.
