Pioneer Men Win Two At Florida Juco Shootout

Gainesville, Florida – It was a very successful weekend for the Indian River State College (IRSC) Men's Basketball Team as they won both of their games at the Florida College's Men's Basketball Shootout hosted at Santa Fe College. 

On Saturday, the Pioneers took on the host team, Santa Fe College, for the second meeting of the season.  On November 23, IRSC defeated Santa Fe, 87-69 in a close, hard fought game.  Santa Fe was ready for the rematch and jumped out to an early 19-10 advantage.  The Pioneers offense seemed to have difficulty getting into any sort of rhythm, but Jai Clark gave them a much-needed lift when he hit a deep three-point basket at the halftime buzzer, cutting the Santa Fe lead to 7, 30-23.

IRSC erased the 7-point margin in a hurry and took the lead when A.J. Cajuste hit a jumper from the right elbow making the score 39-37.  The defense was the big difference in the second half for IRSC as they forced Santa Fe into several turnovers, which allowed them to build a 17-point lead and go on to a 71-56 win.  Clark had an impressive night, leading the way with 20 points on 6-9 shooting from the three-point line.  DeJuan Lockett provided inside presence by scoring 14 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.  Miles Coleman and Linton Brown contributed 13 and 12 points respectfully.  Cajuste had a season high 9 assists in the contest.

Sunday's contest against Gulf Coast State College, the #13 ranked team in the National Junior College Athletic Association latest poll, was another big test.  Gulf Coast's length and pressure defense caused IRSC problems on the offensive end and forced them into several turnovers and missed shots.  They took advantage of their defensive effort and went into the half with the 52-39 advantage. 

After the sluggish first half, the Pioneers started the second half with more focus.  Gulf Coast scored the first basket of the second half and then IRSC quickly erased the lead when they went on a 10-0 run.  The game remained close, with several lead changes, before Cajuste scored six straight points, giving IRSC an 84-81 lead.  Back-to-back turnovers by IRSC opened the door for Gulf Coast, and they tied the score at 87, but a Lockett sprinted the floor and scored a fast break lay-up making the score 89-87 with 39 seconds remaining.  The Pioneers were able to convert enough free-throws and won 92-88, giving them their second victory of the year over a top 15 nationally ranked team.

Clark again led the way with 20 points, followed by Cajuste with 17 and 7 assists, Drew LaMont 15 (5-6 from three-point range), and Juan Lockett muscled in 14.  Lockett and Miles Coleman both pulled in 11 rebounds in the contest.  IRSC will be in action on Wednesday, December 18^th, on the IRSC campus in Fort Pierce, Florida, when they take on Florida State College at Jacksonville.  The game will begin at 5:30 p.m.