CHICAGO, Ill. – The No. 6 Vincennes University Trailblazers tipped off the 2024 portion of their schedule Saturday afternoon by hitting the road to take on Malcolm X College in Chicago.
The Blazers had to shake off some of the rust early but were able to pull away late and pick up the 100-76 victory over the Hawks.
Vincennes got off to a slow start in their first game since the Holiday break, with Malcolm X grabbing an early four-point lead and the Blazers playing from behind for the first 10 minutes of the game.
VU was able to get ahead with an 11-2 scoring run to take a 27-19 lead.
Malcolm X would cut the deficit back down to four before the Blazers grew the lead back to eight, heading into the locker room at the halftime break leading the Hawks 45-37.
Vincennes looked to set the tone early in the second half and break the game open, using eight unanswered points to take a 55-41 lead.
Malcolm X would continue to hang around but were unable to cut the Vincennes lead back to single digits as VU closed out the game with a 16-3 scoring run to pull away and take the 100-67 victory over the Hawks.
"There were spots where we did some things offensively," VU Hall of Fame Head Coach Todd Franklin said. "When we swung the ball and were really solid with it, we could get the ball inside and play inside-out, we could get what we wanted if we did that. I thought it started when we got stops, we could get in transition. When we actually got a solid stop on defense, off a percentage of those we were off and going."
"The problem was we were getting beat off the dribble too much," Franklin added. "We had too many fouls and when they were at the foul line, we didn't have too many of those opportunities. But as we got stops on defense and were able to get out in transition and beat them down the floor. That and the inside game was really where we made it happen. We could beat them up on the offensive glass if we took the right shots and we did."
"But we had way too many turnovers, in the first half especially," Franklin said. "And we missed way too many free throws and easy shots around the basket or I think we would have had a big lead at halftime. Then defensively, we just didn't stop the ball at the top. It's really pretty simple when we get right down to it. We didn't do a very good job of it and got into foul trouble because of it and it allowed them to feel pretty good about their game."
The Trailblazers were led offensively by freshman Lebron Thomas (Bishopville, S.C.) who scored 24 points on eight shots, including hitting five of six from three-point range. Thomas also dished out six assists, grabbed four rebounds and came away with three steals.
Sophomore Kris King (Washington, D.C.) had a big game for VU off the bench, matching his career-high with 24 points, seven assists and four rebounds.
Sophomore Michael Osei-Bonsu (Bolingbrook, Ill.) finished off another double-double, his fifth of the season and 11th in his VU career with 16 points and 12 rebounds, including nine offensive rebounds.
Freshman Damarien Yates (Somerville, Tenn.) got into double figures, scoring 10 points and matching Thomas with a team-high three steals.
Sophomore Kent King (Washington, D.C) was the fifth VU scorer in double-figures, scoring 10 points and grabbing five rebounds off the bench Saturday afternoon.
Sophomore Ryan Oliver (Antioch, Tenn.) ended his night with seven points, eight rebounds and three assists.
"Lebron was really our one guy that hit shots from outside," Franklin said. "We had an opportunity to really have what we wanted from there. When the ball would move and swing, we had shots and then when it went inside and then back out, we had wide open shots. Lebron hit some, which was good because we didn't really have many others do that. But it was big that he did."
"I thought Kris got buckets," Franklin added. "He was able to get some in transition. When we got stops, he did a pretty good job of attacking in transition and getting to the basket and made some key plays. He made a few plays where he got around the basket and had a mismatch with some guys and was able to do some things and scored some there. He was big in that way, now we need to get him cranked up and hitting some open shots from the perimeter. We need to have somebody that can do that consistently from the perimeter because we're getting some pretty good looks. But he did a good job of those things."
"Dink had his moments," Franklin said. "He had some opportunities. Then Michael, he had 16, tonight I thought Mike could have had 36. For Michael, he's got to get past the point of being happy with just 16 and out of those 16 he probably scored the last four or five times when he was really intense about it and he scored like he had opportunities to do all night. So we've got to get him in that mindset all night long."
"But that's where we went," Franklin added. "That's where we got them. Going forward, we are going to have to stop the ball better. I've got to figure out how we can get to where we stop the ball better. That's the No. 1 thing for us and it's always been the No. 1 thing for us. If we can do that and we can stop turning the ball over for no reason, then I think we'll have some success."
The Trailblazers now turn their attention to the Region 24 section of their schedule, with the Blazers heading into 15 straight Region 24 games to close out the season.
The Blazers will begin this run on the road Wednesday, Jan. 10 when VU heads to Mattoon, Ill. to take on Lake Land College. Tip-off time for that game is 8 p.m. eastern.
VU will then return home for the first home game of 2024 when Vincennes hosts the defending NJCAA Division I National Champions John A. Logan College Saturday, Jan. 13 at 4 p.m. eastern.
"Just how important it is to protect the ball," Franklin said of what he hopes his team takes away from tonight's game. "How important it is to move the ball sharply and how important it is to stop the ball on the bounce at the other end. How hard we need to work and focus in on those things because that's going to be the tale of our season."
"I told our guys in the locker room, some of it is not about 'we' and more," Franklin added. "It's got to be about 'me'. Each individual has to say 'I'm going to get my job done. I'm going to be focused. I'm going to be locked into these things.' Instead of it being a collective and we just throw it out there almost like it's an excuse. I need a group that is going to take total responsibility for that if we are going to make the type of run that we all talk about and want to and I think we have the potential to. But we're not going to if we don't take it on as a 'me' thing. 'I'm going to stop this ball. I'm going to lock this guy up and square this guy up and not let him get into the paint. I'm going to get prepared to hit this shot on these inside outs. I'm going to catch this ball in the paint and I'm going to turn and stick this ball in the basket.' Because we have opportunities."
"I think we just have to get a group that takes more personal responsibility," Franklin said. "I've got to do a better job of figuring out who that group is and we've got to find a way to cut it down. We've got to figure out who we can really trust. But at the same token, we have to get to where we can guard without fouling. We've got to find a way to do that. I think there's potential for our team to do everything that there is out there. But it's not going to happen if we don't take all of those things very personally."
VINCENNES BOX SCORE
VINCENNES (100): Damarien Yates 4-11 2-2 10, Ryan Oliver 3-7 0-0 7, Lebron Thomas 6-8 7-9 24, Michael Osei-Bonsu 6-7 4-8 16, Karyiek Dixon 0-4 0-0 0, Mathieu Nader-Kalombo 1-2 0-0 3, Alphonse Muteba 0-0 0-0 0, Kris King 7-15 10-13 24, Kent King 3-9 3-5 10, Victor Lado 2-3 2-4 6, Vilhelm Bodingh 0-0 0-0 0, Team 32-66 28-41 100.
VU (14-1, 1-0) – 45 55 – 100
Malcolm X – 37 39 – 76
Three-point goals: VU 8 (L. Thomas 5, Oliver, Nader-Kalombo, Ke. King). Rebounds: VU 46 (Osei-Bonsu 12). Assists: VU 24 (Kr. King 7). Steals: VU 13 (Yates 3, L. Thomas 3). Blocked Shots: VU 4 (Yates, Oliver, Osei-Bonsu, Ke. King.). Turnovers: VU 13. Personal Fouls: VU 27. Fouled out: Nader-Kalombo, Ke. King. Technical Foul: Ke. King (2nd half – 1:14).