Twelve Wins In A Row For IRSC Men

Palm Beach, Florida – It wasn't easy, but the Pioneers from Indian River State College (IRSC) found a way to keep their win streak alive by defeating Palm Beach State College, 76-71.  In a game where IRSC trailed for most of the contest, they rallied late to pull off the victory.   "It wasn't our best performance, but we managed to get defensive stops and hit shots at the right time," stated IRSC Men's Head Coach Charlie Wilson. 

The Pioneers took an early lead, 12-5 on a Tadre Morse three-point basket with the shot clock running down, but Palm Beach came back strong and took the lead 24-22 with 7:22 to go in the first half.  Palm Beach went into halftime with a one-point advantage, 40-39. 

Morse converted an offensive rebound into a made basket on the first possession of the second half giving IRSC a 41-40 lead.  Palm Beach took back the lead and kept the Pioneers at bay until Jai Clark took over the ball game with his long-range shooting.  Clark kept IRSC close and gave them the lead when he hit a baseline three-point shot with 2:58 on the clock, 68-66.  Linton Brown came up with a steal for IRSC and hit Tanahj Pettway who was fouled going to the basket.  Pettway converted one of two free-throws making the score 69-66.  Clark managed to get free again nailing another three, giving IRSC a 72-66 lead with 1:51 remaining.  The Pioneers were able to use up most of the clock due to the fact Palm Beach had to foul several times before reaching the bonus in fouls.  IRSC made enough free-throws to come away with their 12th win in a row, 76-71.

Jai Clark had a big afternoon for the Pioneers with 26 points and going 8-12 from the three-point line, he was followed in scoring by Linton Brown with 11 points.  The win moved IRSC's Southern Conference record to 5-0 and 16-6 overall.  They will be in action again on Wednesday the 29^th for a home contest with ASA College (Miami).  The game will tip-off at 7:30 p.m. at the Fort Pierce campus.