Mesa, Ariz. – The pair of conference games at Bell Bank Park for the Buccaneers men's and women's basketball teams did not go as planned, as both teams were defeated by the University of Antelope Valley.
The women's game proved to be a foul-filled contest. With a distinct physical side, the University of Antelope Valley handed the Buccaneers their third straight loss with a score of 66-87.
Head coach Jeff Fore said, "It was one of those games where you walk away having learned a lot. I think the team is anticipating a fresh start tomorrow where they can focus on their mistakes made against Antelope Valley."
This the first matchup between these two programs, and the Pioneers got the better of the Bucs in this one. The Pioneers took the scoring battle in all four quarters, taking advantage largely from the high percentage of turnovers from the Bucs that resulted in 21 points off turnovers in the first half alone.
Jazmyne Jenkins and Kayla Schroeder led the team at the conclusion of the evening with 16 points a piece. Jenkins went on to chip in with five rebounds and three steals.
The Buccaneers pushed through a hard fought battle but were unable to top the Pioneers 47.2 percent shooting from the floor. A significant contributor to Antelope Valley's score came from Park turnovers, as they were able to put up 37 points from ball mishandling.
On the men's side, the game seemed out of Park's reach from the very beginning and continued until the final buzzer, with the board showing a score of 97-47. The visitors from California stunned the Buccaneer squad as they jumped out to a 17-1 lead in less than three minutes.
Elias Ezenekwe of Antelope Valley had 18 of their first half points as the Pioneers took off to a 62-21 halftime lead. It played out in a similar fashion during the final 20 minutes of the night. The Buccaneers rotated through their bench but were unable to come up with the missing piece. Antelope Valley wrapped up their visit to Bell Bank Park with 35 points in the second half, leaving the Buccaneers reeling as the final buzzer sounded.
Ray Johnson II put up his first double double as a Buccaneer with 14 points and 12 rebounds. He went 6-9 from the floor and accounted for two steals. LC Ballard led the team with 15 points while clocking in for 37 minutes.
The Buccaneers are scheduled to host the next round of competition on Dec. 9 with the women's game against the University of Providence starting at 5:30 p.m. and the men's game against Haskell Indian Nations University at 7:30 p.m.
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