VINCENNES, Ind. – The Vincennes University Trailblazers checked in this week as the No. 6 team in the country and got their first chance to defend this new ranking Wednesday at the Physical Education Complex.
Vincennes came out on top in the first meeting of the 'Battle of the Blazers' winning over the Lewis & Clark Trailblazers 90-59.
VU grabbed the first momentum swing of the opening half with a 13-3 scoring run to give Vincennes a 21-10 lead.
VU would grow their lead to 36-18 late in the first half, before Lewis & Clark rallied back to close out the first half on an 8-0 scoring run to cut the deficit to single digits with VU holding a 41-32 lead heading into the break.
Lewis & Clark continued to cut into the VU lead to start the second half, getting the VU lead down to just five points early in the second period.
Vincennes was able to completely swing the momentum back after out scoring Lewis & Clark 35-9 to build an 80-49 advantage.
Vincennes continued to put the pressure on as VU closed out their 11th straight win of the season and second Region 24 win of the year over Lewis & Clark by the final score 90-59.
"We just found the groups of guys that wanted to try to play right," VU Hall of Fame Head Coach Todd Franklin said. "We made a few mistakes but I thought our energy was better and for the most part we were attempting to do what I've said. We are going to keep looking for that and you either bring it or you don't. If you don't, then you won't be out there for very long. If you do bring it, then you will stay out there. It's not really complicated."
"For as far down the road as we are and have gotten things recharged after coming out of COVID, the one thing that is still missing is that we don't have the old returners who have been through it and you'll see it at times," Franklin added. "You'll see the times when we go through a little dead period on the floor and then you will see it in having the leadership to say, 'This is what we do. He's said it, now let's do it.' And you still have some that are still in that high school mode where they think this is a debate. It's not a debate. It's not a debate because I know exactly what we need to do and you've got to go out there and fight your tail off to go do it."
"That's the first stage of being somebody that is going to be on the floor," Franklin said. "You can see the difference where in the second half the energy looked more right and it was. It wasn't perfect but it was more right. If we would have hit some jump shots, we are still struggling to hit open shots, we won the second half 49-27, it would have been 59-27. We've just got to stay in the gym until we can bust these shots and keep taking good ones. I thought, for the most part, we took good shots and when the guys didn't take good ones I took them out. That's going to continue because I'm not that hard to play for. You have to play aggressive, we liked to play aggressive and you have to know what your right shot is to be aggressive with and as long as you are inside of that, you've got a chance. At some point in time though you have to make it because we have to have guys out there that can get it done."
"I set some pretty clear lines since Saturday about what I wanted," Franklin added. "I didn't think we matched that. It was spotty throughout the first half. There were times when there were some good things but it was just up and down and spotty. Then the last five minutes was just sloppy. We didn't lock down defensively and focus on the things that we needed to. We were having a hard time finishing, which always makes it look worse. It wasn't that we were having that hard of a time getting a shot, we just didn't finish and then it went from up 18 back down to nine and that kind of continued to start the second half. I just didn't think we were geared all the way in defensively and then we were missing some shots."
"Then we finally locked in enough and as the ball moved, you see what happens when the ball moves with a little bit of purpose, all of a sudden Shilo has a big night," Franklin said. "Shilo went at the basket more. When he wasn't successful tonight, he was still wanting to fade. When he went at it and when we got it to him after we swung it, he had a big night. Those things are connected."
VU was led offensively by sophomore Shilo Jackson (Indianapolis, Ind.) who picked up his third double-double of the season and 18th career double-double with a team high 23 points and 12 rebounds.
Jackson got most of his work done at the free throw line, connecting on 13 of his 15 free throw attempts.
Freshman Kent King (Washington, D.C.) came off the bench and played most of the second half on his way to 14 points, four rebounds and a pair of assists.
Sophomore Caleb Johnson (N. Preston, Nova Scotia) continues to be Mr. Consistent for VU, scoring in double-figures for the 10th time this season with 13 points, seven rebounds and a team-high three assists.
Freshman Michael Osei-Bonsu (Bolingbrook, Ill.) just missed a double-double, finishing his night with eight points and nine rebounds, while sophomore Devawn White (Montreal, Quebec) came off the bench to grab 10 rebounds, six of which coming on the offensive glass, while also swiping a pair of steals.
"I thought Kent King struggled to hit a shot but I thought he gave us good things as a point guard," Franklin said. "We are going to keep looking until we find the guys that want to play solid basketball the way we want it done and I thought in the second half we got better guard play out of Tasos and Kent. They were able to handle the ball and move the ball and I thought the other guys did better."
"Devawn White had much better energy in the second half," Franklin added. "He was focused on what he needs to be focused on instead of whatever else it was. In the second half, he locked into, we expressed to him at halftime what it was that he needed to do if he got out there again and he did. Hopefully that resonates and stays inside his brain as he goes forward. He can bring us an energy and he did. He got 10 rebounds, started guarding and stopping the ball instead of being in no mans land in the first half and making mental mistakes when we really needed somebody to step in and be old. Say 'this is what we are doing and how we are do it.' He didn't do it in the first half but did it in the second half. When he did it in the second half you can see the difference and see the results on the floor. It's really simple but I thought his energy in the second half and his focus was much better and it helped us a great deal."
"We kept the ball in front of us better defensively," Franklin said. "We stopped the straight-line drives and cutting better after the first part of the second half when we made some silly fouls. After that, we locked in fairly well and like it said, we won the second half 49-27, without us really shooting the ball tremendously from outside despite the fact that we got some really open looks. It was better and hopefully we can build off of it because that's the only thing that matters. Can we learn and these guys learned that there is not a negotiation going on here. Here's what you do to have a chance to be a guy that out there. You still may not be out there, but if you want a chance to be out there, we are not debating anything."
The Trailblazers will close out this week on the road Saturday, Dec. 3 when VU makes the short trip west to Olney, Ill. for a Region 24 showdown against Olney Central College. Tip-off time is set for 8 p.m. eastern.
"We are being really clear about what we want," Franklin said. "I can't be clearer. It's pretty simplistic what we are demanding right now. I'm not trying to overdemand this group in terms of being complicated. But what I want is what we need. What I want, if we do it, so far, we have been able to be successful and our times of not being successful are when we are not. That can be just the fundamentals of it, or it can be the intensity of it and we have got to bring both to the table. If you are going to go in and win in a hostile environment Saturday night, you've got to bring as close to 40 minutes of being fundamentally sound and intensity sound."
"You can't be up and down or floating around," Franklin added. "Well, I'm going to do it half like Coach says or I'm not going to bring that grit that we need to bring. I think anybody that has watched the games can see what happens when we are and when we are not. It's very evident. So, our guys should be able to see that now and if they want to be successful that is what is going to be required. If you want to play, it's what is required. If I don't get it I will just keep subbing in the hopes that I get it. But then when I get it, the marry-go-round stops and the guy stays out there. I don't think there's anything confusing about what I want them to get and what I want them to bring to the table and I'm pretty sure what I want and what I'm asking for is exactly what we need to bring to do."
"We haven't won all of these games over the years by accident," Franklin said. "I can't fix a car. I don't know anything about wiring in a house. But this right here, I've got a pretty good idea what it takes to win at this level. Get guys improved at this level and get them ready at this level. Harden them up and make a deep run in the National Tournament and then have them go on and be successful at the four-year programs. I think I've got that down pretty good and so it's just can I get that across to the young men and they bring it. That's what we are trying to do."
"We don't have those returners that have been there and have been highly successful like we've always had," Franklin added. "So, this is a new bunch that is having to learn a new thing in a new way and a new way is not a bad thing for them. Because this way has been, prior to these last couple of years, it was the best way in the country for a quarter century at this particular thing that they want to do. They need to learn this way. That's what we want. We've made gains but we are not there by any stretch. We are racing the clock every day to get as good as we can and hopefully win while we do it. It's really simple what I'm looking for."
VINCENNES BOX SCORE
VINCENNES (90): Caleb Johnson 6-10 1-1 13, Michael Osei-Bonsu 3-6 2-6 8, Shilo Jackson 5-8 13-15 23, Tasos Cook 3-7 2-2 9, Kale Gaither 1-2 0-0 3, Trenton Johnson 1-4 2-3 4, James Locke IV 2-8 0-0 4, Devawn White 1-4 1-3 3, Kris King 1-5 0-0 3, Ryan Oliver 1-1 2-2 5, Kent King 4-13 5-6 14, Victor Lado 0-0 1-2 1, Karyiek Dixon 0-0 0-0 0, Team 28-68 29-40 90.
Lewis & Clark – 32 27 – 59
VU (11-0, 2-0) – 41 49 – 90
Three-point goals: VU 5 (Cook, Gaither, Kr. King, Oliver, Ke. King). Rebounds: VU 52 (Jackson 12). Assists: VU 12 (C. Johnson 3). Steals: VU 6 (White 2). Blocked shots: VU 4 (C. Johnson, Osei-Bonsu, Locke IV, Oliver). Turnovers: VU 11. Personal Fouls: VU 19. Fouled out: None.
