ULLIN, Ill. – The No. 12-ranked Vincennes University Trailblazers picked up a big Region 24 road win Thursday night after heading to Shawnee Community College and coming away with the 84-65 win.
The Trailblazers wasted little time grabbing control of this Region 24 showdown, scoring the first 16 points of the game and building a 27-8 lead midway through the first half.
Shawnee would answer back on their home floor however, cutting the VU lead down to single digits before halftime as the Blazers headed into the locker room leading 37-30 at the break.
The Saints would score the first basket out of the halftime break to cut VU's lead down to just five, but this would be as close as Shawnee would get Thursday night as VU quickly grabbed the momentum back and built a commanding 69-47 lead late in the second half.
Shawnee would again not go away quietly as the Saints were spurred on by a late 8-0 scoring run, but ran out of steam as Vincennes picked up their fourth-straight win, going wire-to-wire to win 84-65 at Shawnee.
"I thought the start was really, really good," VU Hall of Fame Head Coach Todd Franklin said. "It wasn't an accident. Our guys were locked in defensively on what the game plan was and what their tendencies were. I thought Ryan Oliver and Michael Osei-Bonsu were ready to go on the offensive end of the floor. Ryan gave us that punch from the outside that we have been looking for on the road. It was great to see him get over that hump. I thought he hasn't played as well on the road as he does at home and tonight he did."
"We were playing well, then we went to the bench and had a couple of defensive breakdowns," Franklin added. "Shawnee got some easy buckets off of some things that they haven't been getting. Then the score kind of held at 12 or 14 really for the rest of the half and then we had a bad end of the first half. We just had some guys who didn't finish and finalize some plays. We had some guys start to get beat on the screens and our bigs that were in at the time didn't really step up and give any resistance at the rim. Then the next thing you know, it's a seven-point game."
"We made some adjustments at halftime as to who was out there on the floor," Franklin said. "I thought Karyiek Dixon gave us something to start the second half with some physicality. I thought our team was more intense in the second half. They played with a little bit more of that toughness that we always talk about. I know what that is. Obviously we've built our reputation on that and I'm trying to get that across to these young men and they don't really know what it is yet. So it's constantly every day trying to get them over that line. Sometimes it's pretty, sometimes it's not but we have got to get across that line if we want to get done the things that we can."
"We are in a tremendous position right now," Franklin added. "We're 22-2. Playing who we've played and are in the position that we are as a legitimate top-10 team. We are going into February with a tremendous chance of going to the National Tournament and a tremendous chance to still get a bye at Hutch. We still have a great chance of being one of those teams at the end that is playing in a Final Four. So I'm going to do everything I can to get us over that hump. I thought we got closer to that in the second half and because of that, we were able to handle a pretty tough situation."
"Shawnee in the second half, we knew they were just going to drive it right at us," Franklin said. "Play very physical. Grab us, press us and we were tested. There were a few times where it weighed on us but overall, we did a good job with it. Hopefully that's a growing moment for us because we are going to have to be extremely tough, mentally, physically and emotionally to compete to beat a tremendous Logan basketball team. I think since December, Logan has probably been the best basketball team in the country. But we want to flip places with them and I thought tonight was some growing things that we can build off of going into our week of preparation."
VU was led offensively by a breakout performance by freshman Ryan Oliver (Antioch, Tenn.) who set a new career high with 24 points, including a stellar five of eight shooting behind the three-point arc, while also grabbing five rebounds.
Freshman Michael Osei-Bonsu (Bolingbrook, Ill.) controlled the boards from the jump and finished off a big double-double with 16 points and a career-high 17 rebounds.
Sophomore Caleb Johnson (N. Preston, Nova Scotia) continued his streak of scoring in double-figures Thursday by picking up 14 points and seven rebounds.
"Ryan has done that at home for us this year," Franklin said. "He's had those types of nights. He just hasn't put one of those together on the road. Right now it's all about getting to that next stage with this team. That's what's still exciting about this team, we'll see if it happens or not, but so many of these guys have an opportunity to go up another level or two. Because they are still new guys who haven't been through this and haven't done this yet."
"Sometimes that can cause you some problems," Franklin added. "But it also tells you that we've been winning at the level that we've been winning, that they can learn on the fly and they can still take this to another level. I thought Ryan showed that tonight. We're learning. I thought Devawn White was a better player in the second half than the first half. I thought Kris King was kind of sleep walking when we put him in in the first half, but I thought he was better in the second half with intensity."
"You can't overestimate the power of real determination and focus," Franklin said. "Just being able to grit those teeth and play with that intensity. It's so important and you can see a difference in the players when they cross that line or they don't. This time of year it's so much about that and I thought we were better tonight. We are still probably not quite where we need to be to be able to beat Logan on Wednesday. But this is a growing point and over the next few days we've got to ratchet it up some more. Tonight is going to be very important for us if we can use it as a launching point."
"But it was good to see us come off that long bus trip," Franklin added. "Any time you can beat Shawnee there and they've won three in a row and they are playing pretty good, any time you can come down here and get a 19-point win, you've done some good things. In the second half we obviously got some contributions from Karyiek and Devawn that were big. Caleb, Ryan and Michael were scoring points. I thought Tasos was a little better in the start of the second half, taking the ball to the basket with some physicality and determination. He's obviously a strong-body guy. We've just got to get him into that more."
The Trailblazers will now get set for a big Region 24 matchup next Wednesday, Feb. 8 when VU hosts No. 4 John A. Logan College at the Physical Education Complex. Tip-off time next week is set for 7 p.m. eastern.
The Volunteers handed VU their first loss of the season back in December in Carterville, as VU fell 80-64. Sophomore Tasos Cook (Columbus, Ohio) finished that game with 19 points, while Caleb Johnson ended with 15.
"I thought tonight was better," Franklin said. "I thought it was a better fight and I'm going to keep pushing that button right now. Because I think that we can be as good as anybody. Whether we are at the moment, I don't know. But I think we are in the conversation of being one of the top teams in the country and I think people have downplayed us a little bit. I look up and see teams in front of us in the polls that I don't understand. I think our history suggests that when we have good teams, we have good teams and this is a good team."
"But now we want to move from being a good team, now our race is trying to be the best team," Franklin added. "That's a different kind of race. We've already proven that we are a good team. Now we've got to prove that we can be the best team. I think we are playing the best team, in my opinion, since December next week in John A. Logan. But at the end of the day, it's going to be about who is the best team in March. Right now, the biggest regular season games are in February and obviously we've got one of those next Wednesday."
"We need that place packed," Franklin said. "We have earned the right to be in a big-time game. Logan has earned the right to be in this big-time game. These are two teams who have earned the right to have Final Four and National Championship discussions and to have a February game at our place, that place better be packed. It's Vincennes. It better be loud and they should help us get over the top and we need it because this is as big a big-time game as it gets. We are not downplaying it. We are going to try and come nose to nose and when it is over, they will likely have to beat us again, or we will have to beat them again shortly after at the Region tournament."
"But for that one night, we get an opportunity to play at the highest of highest levels and push ourselves and see where we are really at going down the stretch," Franklin added. "It's an opportunity to come and soak up what is going to be great college basketball. The fans should pack it. Vincennes should want to pack the house. They should want to be involved in something of that level. Multiple Division I guys all over the court. Both teams are going to play their tails off. These are National caliber teams. So hopefully everybody in the world comes out. Hopefully it's packed to the rafters and our fans helping us through. Because we are going to need a herculean effort. But so will Logan. These are two good teams and somebody is going to have to play good to win."
VINCENNES BOX SCORE
VINCENNES (84): Tasos Cook 1-8 4-6 6, Ryan Oliver 7-12 5-5 24, Caleb Johnson 5-8 4-6 14, Michael Osei-Bonsu 8-10 0-1 16, Shilo Jackson 1-2 2-2 4, Trenton Johnson 0-1 0-0 0, Devawn White 1-2 3-6 5, Kale Gaither 2-2 0-0 5, Kris King 1-6 4-4 6, Victor Lado 0-0 0-0 0, Karyiek Dixon 2-4 0-0 4, Team 28-55 22-30 84.
VU (22-2, 10-2) – 37 47 – 84
Shawnee – 30 35 – 65
Three-point goals: VU 6 (Oliver 5, Gaither). Rebounds: VU 39 (Osei-Bonsu 17). Assists: VU 15 (Cook 5). Steals: VU 8 (C. Johnson 2, King 2). Blocked Shots: VU 3 (Cook, C. Johnson, Jackson). Turnovers: VU 12. Personal Fouls: VU 17. Fouled out: None.