February 16, 2019 / No. 2 Trailblazers avenge only loss
OLNEY, Ill. - Colton Sandage hit-back-to-back three-pointers including one to beat the first-half buzzer to help give the Vincennes University men’s basketball team some momentum on Saturday.
Sandage’s second 3-pointer of the half gave the No. 2 Trailblazers a 38-35 lead at the half.
The Trailblazers carried the momentum into the second half en route to an impressive 94-74 over the No. 14 ranked Blue Knights.
The win ends a brief two-game losing streak to Olney Central as VU avenged its only loss of the season.
“They were big,” VU Coach Todd Franklin said of Sandage’s treys at the end of the first half. “I didn’t think our outside guys were getting ready (for shots) most of the first half, but those two shots by Colton were big. Not so much that it gave us the lead, but just that it made them realize that is something that we work on everyday in practice.”
The Trailblazers used a 13-0 run near the start of the second half for a 56-39 lead with 14 minutes, 22 seconds remaining in the game.
Kevin Osawe accounted for eight points during the run as he knocked down a pair of 3-pointers in addition to a rebound basket.
The freshman finished with 10 points in the game - all in the second half. He also pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds.
Sandage took a pass from Keith Clemons and knocked down a corner three to extend the ‘Blazers lead to 65-45 and OCC never closed to within 16 points the rest of the way.
Sandage finished with 17 points.
Lony Francis, Jr. tallied a game-high 29 points.
The sophomore preseason All-American scored the first 12 points of the game for VU and he had 18 points at halftime.
“We felt like we could pound the ball inside against these guys and that is what we were able to do early,” Franklin said. “Lony got us off to a great start.”
Francis added 11 rebounds to finish with a double-double.
Clemons and George Dixon gave the Trailblazers four players in double figures as the two sophomores tallied 15 and 14 points respectively. Clemons handed out five assists, while Dixon fell one rebound shy of his 12th double-double of the season.
Craig Porter finished with just four points, but the freshman dished out a career-high 12 assists and added three blocked shots.
The Trailblazers out-rebounded OCC, 52-31.
VU (25-1) returns to the P.E. Complex Wednesday night as it plays host to Lewis and Clark. The game will tip at 7 p.m.
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TRAVIS DAVID, Assistant Sports Information Director
812-888-6831 office, vuathletics@vinu.edu
MARCIA MARTINEZ, University Life Reporter & Sports Information Director
812-888-4164 office, 314-599-1519 cell, VUNews@vinu.edu, mmartinez@vinu.edu
VINCENNES UNIVERSITY, Department of University Relations, www.vinu.edu/newsroom