Offense Carries Colts To 103-91 Win Over Mid Michigan

Danville, IL - Three different players scored at least 20 points for the Colts in an impressive 103-91 over Mid Michigan Wednesday night in the consolation bracket of the NJCAA Division II Men's Basketball Championship.

Freshman Anthony Pacciarelli (Monroe, NY / St. Joseph Regional) led the Colts with a game-high 35 points on 13-19 shooting, including 4-6 from three-point distance. Sophomores Darren McFarlane (Bronx, NY / Monsignor Scanlon) and Keishawn Morris (Brooklyn, NY / South Shore) joined Pacciarelli, scoring 21 and 20 points respectively. Sophomore guard Giovani Rupert (Miami, Fl / Flanigan) chipped in with 14 points on 6-8 shooting as the fourth Colt to score in double digits.

The Colts came out firing, building up a 10-4 lead just five minutes into the game, and would extend that lead to 17-7 just a minute later on a McFarlane layup. The Lakers would cut the deficit to five halfway through the first half, but back to back baskets by Rupert, including a thunderous dunk in transition, gave the Colts a 31-19 lead with 8:09 remaining.

The Colts grew their lead to as much as 17 in the first half, before heading into the break up 55-40. The Colts shot an astounding 71% from the field in the first half, including 66.7% from three and 87.5% from the free throw line.

Both teams traded baskets to start the second half before an 12-3 run by the Lakers cut the deficit to just eight with 15:05 remaining. The Colts responded in impressive fashion however, with back to back threes by Pacciarelli and Rupert, and a layup by Pacciarelli to grow the lead back to 14 just 90 seconds later. RJ Little (Suffern, NY / Suffern) converted a three-point play and Pacciarelli scored on a layup to extend the Colts lead to 16 halfway through the second stanza.

Never one to back down, the Lakers turned four straight trips to the free throw line into a 8-2 run before a three-pointer by Vynce Overshown cut the Colts lead to 81-73 with 8:19 to go. A Lakers jump shot cut the deficit to six, the closest the game had been since halfway through the first half.

Again, the Colts responded, this time with a 10-2 run punctuated by a Little dunk to give themselves a 14 point lead with just over four minutes remaining. Another dunk by Little with under three minutes to go gave the Colts an insurmountable 16-point lead.

The Colts move on to the next round of the consolation bracket, where they will take on the 17-seed Lansing Community College Stars. Tip-off is scheduled for 12:00 pm.