By: Kaleb Center, CSC Sports Information
SALT LAKE CITY – January 9, 2021 -- The Chadron State College men's basketball team grabbed an early lead on Saturday evening, but host Westminster College secured the game late in the first half and early in the second, and rode out its advantage down the stretch, to finish with the win in Salt Lake City to run its season record to 4-2, all in Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference play.
The Eagles fell to 2-3, all within the RMAC schedule.
CSC jumped out to a 15-9 lead in the first seven and a half minutes. Teddy Parham, Jr., hit a pair of three-pointers and Jacob Jefferson made a pair of field goals, while Psalm Maduakor swiped a steal and converted for a pair of free throws to stretch the Eagles' lead to its largest margin of the night, with 12:20 remaining in the first half.
The Eagles and Griffins battled back and forth at that point, with Westminster going on a 9-2 run to end the first half to make it 35-28 WC at the midpoint break.
In the second half, Westminster scored the first eight points to go ahead 43-28 after junior guard Joey Andrews hit a two-point field goal and two free throws to start the period.
The Griffins got ahead by as many as 19, with 13:53 left to play at 52-33 Griffins, but the Eagles continued to chip away at the Westminster lead over the remainder of the game.
CSC got to within four on a Marcus Jefferson three at the 1:07 mark, to cut the WC lead to 63-59, but Marcus Jefferson also had a turnover down the stretch while hitting the only other shot for the Eagles from the foul line to finish at a 65-60 deficit.
The Eagles lost by one fewer point than they had won by four weeks ago in Chadron, when they were victorious 66-60.
Westminster was led in scoring by junior forward Brayden Johnson, with 17 points on 8-of-13 shooting. Andrews, who hit five of six from the field and two of three from beyond the arc, had 14 points.
The Eagles got 16 points each from Jacob Jefferson and Teddy Parham, Jr. Deundra Roberson, a junior guard who joined the team days ago, acquired a team-high five boards.
Westminster shot 50 percent from the field, compared to CSC's 42 percent. The Griffins also went 7-of-18 from three, for 39 percent, while the Eagles hit 9 of 32 shots from long range, for 28 percent accuracy.
The CSC men are back at home January 15-16 hosting Western Colorado and Fort Lewis.