No. 11 Trailblazers survive defensive battle with D-II No. 16 Danville Area on homecoming

VINCENNES, Ind. – The No. 11-ranked Vincennes University Trailblazers faced another tough challenge Saturday night at the P.E. Complex in their third game of the season against a ranked NJCAA Division II opponent, this time No. 16-ranked Danville Area.

The Trailblazers bounced back after the Jaguars tied the game late in the second half before VU pulled away at the free throw line to close out the 73-65 win on homecoming night.

The No. 11-ranked Trailblazers found themselves in a back-and-forth defensive slugfest early Saturday night, with neither team able to break away.

VU was the first to put together a scoring run, using a 7-0 run to take a 24-18 lead.

Danville Area responded back with a 6-0 scoring run later in the first half to cut the VU lead to just one before VU would tack on another point to their lead before heading into the locker room up 34-32.

Vincennes against looked to separate themselves from the Jaguars in the second half but could not break away as Danville managed to tie the game at 53-all midway through the final period.

Danville Area would keep the game tied at 59-59 before Vincennes used a 6-0 run to grab the lead back.

The Jaguars battled back but were ultimately unable to take the lead back from the Blazers as VU would go on to ice the game away at the free throw line with Vincennes winning their eighth straight game to begin the season 73-65.

"We just grinded it out tonight," VU Hall of Fame Head Coach Todd Franklin said. "We couldn't hit shots from the outside, which was really the only way we were going to open this game up. Danville is solid, they play good defense, they have good ball handling. They are disciplined and have good quickness with those guards. They are going to isolate you and try to get after you one-on-one after their actions. They want to go deeper into the shot clock and they make you go deeper into the shot clock because they grind you down. This wasn't going to be a game with a bunch of transition buckets. It was a grind with some opportunity breaks."

"We had opportunities tonight because we had some open shots on the perimeter," Franklin added. "Especially early in the game, we had all kinds of shots that could have really broken things open and we didn't hit them. We were five for 21 for the game behind the three-point line. If you told me we were going to shoot that before the game I would have told you that this game was going to be a slog then. It's going to be close and probably within 10 points. Now if you told me we were going to hit nine or 10 of those 21, then I'd say we could get them between 10 and 20."

"There was no surprise in this game whatsoever," Franklin said. "Danville is a good ball club. That's why they have beaten Wabash Valley handedly and Lake Land handedly on the road on those teams' home floor. They had an early turnaround and played Lincoln Trail, who also is a good team and Lincoln Trail got them. For Division II teams it's a little tougher. They can be really ready to play on that night, but it's the continuum that gets them. But that's who they are. They are only letting teams score in the 50's. They have played real teams and that's what they are defensively."

"We ended up getting 73 on them tonight and we were only shooting five for 21 from the three-point line," Franklin added. "We were alright free throw shooting wise except for Michael. We said it to him over and over again because he is going to have opportunities to make plays. But at the end of the game tonight we had to take him off the floor when it got close and we don't want to do that. You are not a finished product when the season starts. There are lots of things that you have to improve on and you take these experiences to improve like that. He has to be a better free throw shooter as fast as possible. When he gets that way, he is going to be a much bigger problem for the other teams."

"Everybody still has to make improvements, that's just where we are," Franklin said. "We've been able to see some of those things already because we've played good teams and played really good basketball games. We've played six teams that I would bet, barring major injury, are going to win at least 20 games this season. And we've beaten six teams that are going to win at least 20 games this season. That's tough to do in 19 days. Playing eight games and six of them are against those teams, for a new team. Obviously, we've been playing at home, but those teams get jacked up to play here. We are the big game, stay locked into the game plan and stay on point and that's good for us. We've played real basketball games that we have managed to win, which is great. But we will see how valuable they are by what we have learned from them. I'm proud of these guys for getting through these games the way they have. It's really difficult to win all of these games without stubbing your toe once with the quality that we have played. Not many people are doing that."

VU was led offensively by sophomore Caleb Johnson (N. Preston, Nova Scotia) and freshman Kent King (Washington, D.C.) who got the VU offense going early and finishing with 17 points each.

Johnson would lead the Blazers with six assists and three blocks on the night, while also grabbing five rebounds.

King would add three rebounds and a pair of assists while getting the job done at the free throw line, hitting all eight of his shots from the charity stripe.

Freshman Kale Gaither (Madisonville, Ky.) was the third VU scorer in double-figures, ending with 15 points for the game.

Freshman Michael Osei-Bonsu (Bolingbrook, Ill.) and sophomore Shilo Jackson (Indianapolis, Ind.) created a post presence for Vincennes, with Osei-Bonsu coming off the bench to score eight points and grab five rebounds and Jackson finishing with six points and a team-high eight rebounds.

Sophomore Tasos Cook (Columbus, Ohio) traded time at the point guard position with King and Gaither to finish his night with seven points, three rebounds and three assists.

"Caleb didn't have any turnovers and six assists," Franklin said. "He hit a big three late. He had several open ones. But he has been good for us. He has things that he still needs to learn and get better if he is going to play at a real championship level. But he is playing well for us."

"Kent King got off to a slow start, we got at him a little bit on the sideline and told him what we needed to see out of him and he did it," Franklin added. "If he doesn't rise up, we probably don't get a win tonight."

"We've put a lot on Kale's plate right now as a freshman," Franklin said. "It's tough and he's struggling shooting the ball a little bit. He's taking a few that are questionable at times, that are maybe a little too deep, which a freshman might do. He was one for seven from three tonight and he is a much better shooter than that. But the game is going. It's harder having to guard people. Legs get tired. So those are some of the adjustments. In him is a much better shooter than that and I think eventually finisher going to the basket. But he is having to adjust because what he did to score all of those points in high school falls a little short at this level. He's there, he just has to go over that hump. But we are asking a lot out of him and he has responded well enough to play a key role in getting us to 8-0 against good teams. We'll see how he accumulates this information and what he does going forward."

"Those three guys were obviously key tonight, we just have to get more and more consistently going," Franklin added. "Michael was alright. He's always in and out with fouls. He just has to clean it up. He's big and strong and he has to be right or these officials are going to get him. He's got to get better at the foul line, but he makes big plays and he's the guy that can hold his position in the post. He's the one who got the ball deep in the post and scored a couple of big buckets in the second half. He got two or three big offensive rebounds. He's vital and we need to be able to get him out there for more minutes and clean up the fouls and clean up the foul shooting, then he will be highly effective. But he's going through those things right now because he's a freshman. But you can see where he is key for us and he was key for us in the second half tonight no question."

The Trailblazers will look to continue this hot start to the season next week as VU opens their Region 24 schedule on the road at Kaskaskia College in Centralia, Ill.

The VU men's team will tip off against the Blue Devils at 8 p.m. eastern, with the VU Lady Blazers tipping off at 6 p.m. eastern.

"It's just up and down right now," Franklin said. "We have to find out who is going to do it. The games got tougher and it keeps getting tougher. It's a race against time every day. This is not like the old days of the NCAA where you can slowly improve over four years. We don't have that time. Everything has to be right now and speed it up as much as possible. That's why the intensity level at this level is a completely different thing because we don't have any time anymore."

"We are trying to put that to these guys just like we have to all of the guys in the past," Franklin added. "The ones that respond will probably have the success of the guys in the past. So now we are going to see who that is. Because now we've been put out there. Now we've experienced it. Now we've felt it. Now we've had coach with a little intensity with us and who does what now. That's going to be the big thing and I'm really looking forward to seeing who responds to a big road game in District play on Tuesday night."

"I don't know yet who it will be," Franklin said. "I can't sit here and tell you who it's going to be. I don't know. We are going to find out. I know what I hope, but right now I know that we are 8-0 and have found a way to win. I know that we have had some guys show that they are capable in spots and capable of not doing it in spots. Now we will see who will take those things over these next couple of days and rally it together. Then we will see who are the guys that we can trust to go out on the road and put us in first place."

VINCENNES BOX SCORE

VINCENNES (73): Kris King 0-1 0-0 0, Caleb Johnson 5-10 5-5 17, Shilo Jackson 2-5 2-2 6, Tasos Cook 3-4 0-1 7, Kale Gaither 5-14 4-5 15, Trenton Johnson 0-2 0-0 0, Devawn White 0-0 0-0 0, Ryan Oliver 0-1 0-0 0, Kent King 4-10 8-8 17, Michael Osei-Bonsu 3-3 2-6 8, Victor Lado 0-0 0-0 0, Kayriek Dixon 1-1 1-2 3, Team 23-51 22-29 73.

Danville Area – 32   33 – 65

VU (8-0) – 34   39 – 73

Three-point goals: VU 5 (C. Johnson 2, Cook, Gaither, Ke. King). Rebounds: VU 32 (Jackson 8). Assists: VU 14 (C. Johnson 6). Steals: VU  2 (C. Johnson, Ke. King). Blocked shots: VU 4 (C. Johnson 3). Turnovers: VU 14. Personal Fouls: VU 24. Fouled out: None.