Tigers Victorious in Home Opener
LOS ANGELES, Calif. (Nov. 24, 2009) - Oxy returned to the friendly confines of Rush Gymnasium for the first time since the end of the 2009 season. Waiting for them were the very athletic Eagles, from the American Sports University, who started the game looking like they would to spoil the homecoming. But the patient and relentless attack of the Tigers eventually wore down the visitors as the host team cruised to a 75-51 victory.
A tight first half saw the lead change hands nine times, with the ninth and last tie of the game coming at 4:16 mark. At 26-26 Jack Hanley hit a three from the wing that ignited a 12-3 run to close the half for the Tigers. During the run Eric Leider followed Hanley by converting a three point play, Huston Conti nailed a jumper from the short corner, then Leider closed out the half with two more freethrows and a wing jumper. Oxy went into halftime up 38-29 and would never be threatened again.
Although the Tigers maintained a double digit lead for the entire second half, the Eagles did not go away, battling every possession. But Oxy didn't back down an inch, as Deshun McCoy even took an elbow right below his right eye, drawing blood and sending him to the bench to get looked at by the trainer, while playing post defense with a twenty point lead. These Tigers battled from the opening tip off through the final buzzer regardless of the score.
For the second straight game, Conti led all scorers with 19 points, while Sean Anderson led the Tigers with 10 rebounds. Leider filled up the stat sheet, most notably with 16 points and a game high 5 assists, while McCoy had another strong night with 16 points, and is now averaging 17.6 points per game in his freshman campaign.
Next up is the second round match up with the West Coast Baptist Eagles, who the Tigers will host on Tuesday, Dec, 1st, with tip off scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
