|
Pioneers come up short in yet another nailbiter
Pacific Union College’s Benny Gipson looks to shoot against William Jessup’s Shaughn Hill (left) and Blaize Boles, a 2007 Justin-Siena graduate, on Tuesday night. Lianne Milton/Register | Buy photos
Share
Email
Print
CommentTo come so close and still not grab a win can be heartbreaking for any team.
But Pacific Union College men’s basketball coach Robert Castillo still managed to find the silver lining after Tuesday night’s 88-82 loss to William Jessup University-Rocklin.
But Pacific Union College men’s basketball coach Robert Castillo still managed to find the silver lining after Tuesday night’s 88-82 loss to William Jessup University-Rocklin.
“We’ve had some closer ones,” Castillo explained. “We’ve had some tough losses when we’ve kicked ourselves because of missed opportunities. That was our most complete game. The second half was probably our best half of the season.
“We’re taking a different approach. We’re seeing improvement, we’re just inconsistent. We’re not putting 40 minutes together.”
“We’re taking a different approach. We’re seeing improvement, we’re just inconsistent. We’re not putting 40 minutes together.”
The Pioneers have suffered a tumultuous season, dropping 19 straight games and not tallying a win thus far.
“I think we’ve wracked our brains trying to figure that out,” Castillo said of the slump. “What we’ve tried to do is not make excuses.”
“I think we’ve wracked our brains trying to figure that out,” Castillo said of the slump. “What we’ve tried to do is not make excuses.”
But that’s not to say the Pioneers aren’t putting up points, grabbing rebounds and causing turnovers.
Kameron Barnes grabbed a game-high 28 points to lead PUC while teammate Brandon Monty tallied a double-double that consisted of 20 points and 11 boards. PUC picked up eight steals to WJU’s one. Benny Gipson and Steven Bushnell grabbed 16 and 10 points, respectively, for the Pioneers.
The scoring for the Warriors (12-8 overall) was a bit more spread out, with nine different players scoring three or more points. Torben Seikowsky led that charge with 22 points while Tyler Leuning and Shaughn Hull and added 14 each and Matt Kristoff nailed 10 with 13 boards.
Leads were exchanged throughout the first half until a deuce from Seikowsky tied the game at 30 and his 2-for-2 performance from the line gave William Jessup the lead.
And he was just getting started.
The guard scored just six points in the first half and exploded during the second 20 minutes. PUC tied the game at 46 and 48 but a bucket from Seikowsky put the Warriors ahead for the final time.
The Pioneers didn’t give up and continued to charge forward. Barnes pulled down a defensive rebound and moved the ball up court and tallied his third dunk of the night. The packed house went crazy, but PUC was still down 74-69.
Barnes picked up two free throws with 50.8 seconds left in the game and Bushnell snagged a steal and converted his layup to make it a three-point game at 85-82. But the Pioneers were forced to foul, which led to three Warrior free throws to extend the lead and finish the game.
William Jessup scored only one more point than PUC during the second half.
“Tonight, we’re obviously disappointed but we played hard,” Castillo said. “(The Warriors) hit some 3s and big shots; you got to tip your hat to them.”
Castillo added that rather than dwell on the loss, he’s hoping his team stays optimistic.
“Hopefully we can carry the momentum over,” Castillo said. “We definitely hope so.”
Pacific Union College hosts Menlo College on Jan. 31 at 7:30 p.m.
• William Jessup Women 66, PUC 31
Not one Pioneer tallied double-digit scoring but Krystal Davis-Small came the closest with her eight points. Ashley Brown added seven while Nichole Stottlemyer chipped in six.
Karlie Mathews led PUC with eight rebounds while Stottlemyer grabbed six.
Rachelle Russell nailed 26 points for the Warriors as well as 10 boards to complete her double-double. Teammate Christina Kidd also put up big numbers that included 18 points, 10 rebounds as well as three assists and six steals. Amanda Gillming chipped in 11 points and five steals. PUC grabbed 30 rebounds to WJU’s 36, but suffered 43 turnovers.
Kameron Barnes grabbed a game-high 28 points to lead PUC while teammate Brandon Monty tallied a double-double that consisted of 20 points and 11 boards. PUC picked up eight steals to WJU’s one. Benny Gipson and Steven Bushnell grabbed 16 and 10 points, respectively, for the Pioneers.
The scoring for the Warriors (12-8 overall) was a bit more spread out, with nine different players scoring three or more points. Torben Seikowsky led that charge with 22 points while Tyler Leuning and Shaughn Hull and added 14 each and Matt Kristoff nailed 10 with 13 boards.
Leads were exchanged throughout the first half until a deuce from Seikowsky tied the game at 30 and his 2-for-2 performance from the line gave William Jessup the lead.
And he was just getting started.
The guard scored just six points in the first half and exploded during the second 20 minutes. PUC tied the game at 46 and 48 but a bucket from Seikowsky put the Warriors ahead for the final time.
The Pioneers didn’t give up and continued to charge forward. Barnes pulled down a defensive rebound and moved the ball up court and tallied his third dunk of the night. The packed house went crazy, but PUC was still down 74-69.
Barnes picked up two free throws with 50.8 seconds left in the game and Bushnell snagged a steal and converted his layup to make it a three-point game at 85-82. But the Pioneers were forced to foul, which led to three Warrior free throws to extend the lead and finish the game.
William Jessup scored only one more point than PUC during the second half.
“Tonight, we’re obviously disappointed but we played hard,” Castillo said. “(The Warriors) hit some 3s and big shots; you got to tip your hat to them.”
Castillo added that rather than dwell on the loss, he’s hoping his team stays optimistic.
“Hopefully we can carry the momentum over,” Castillo said. “We definitely hope so.”
Pacific Union College hosts Menlo College on Jan. 31 at 7:30 p.m.
• William Jessup Women 66, PUC 31
Not one Pioneer tallied double-digit scoring but Krystal Davis-Small came the closest with her eight points. Ashley Brown added seven while Nichole Stottlemyer chipped in six.
Karlie Mathews led PUC with eight rebounds while Stottlemyer grabbed six.
Rachelle Russell nailed 26 points for the Warriors as well as 10 boards to complete her double-double. Teammate Christina Kidd also put up big numbers that included 18 points, 10 rebounds as well as three assists and six steals. Amanda Gillming chipped in 11 points and five steals. PUC grabbed 30 rebounds to WJU’s 36, but suffered 43 turnovers.
No comments posted.
Join the conversation
Comment guidelines
All comments will be screened and may take several hours to be posted.
• Keep comments clear, concise and focused on the topic in the story.
• Comments exceeding 300 words will not be posted.
• Refrain from personal attacks, degrading comments or remarks that do not add to a constructive dialogue.
• Comments implying suspects in crime-related stories are guilty before they have been proven so in a court of law will be deleted.
• Do not post e-mail addresses or links except for pages on Napavalleyregister.com or government Web sites.
• Comments will not be edited - they will be approved or declined.
• Comments may be used in the print edition of the newspaper.
• If you feel a posted comment has violated our guidelines, please contact dross@napanews.com or bkennedy@napanews.com
For further information on the comment guidelines, click here.
|
|
