Wright's night
Box Score
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- For a team in need of a break, Miles sure got one at the right time.
Playing a shorthanded LeMoyne-Owen team, the Golden Bears raced out of the gate and never looked back securing an 83-75 win Saturday night at Bruce-Johnson Hall. Five players scored in double figures but none were hotter than
Sheldon Wright, who came off the bench to drain six 3-pointers (one off his season high) and score 26 points as Miles (1-15, 1-4 SIAC) led wire-to-wire.
The Magicians (3-16, 3-5) dressed only eight players after their roster was depleted due to suspensions from an on-court fight last week. Miles, though, wasted no time showing them that it had at least five players intent on making it a long night for the home team.
Carl Garcia (16 points, six rebounds, four assists) and
Henrique Cistrunk combined to score the first nine points of the game and LeMoyne-Owen went the first five minutes of the game without a field goal.
The Golden Bears' lead was down to 15-14 when Wright got it going. He made his first 3-pointer with 8:41 left in the first half to give Miles some breathing room. Ninety seconds later, he had another.
Joshua Samuels (10 points) would also knock down two 3-balls and
Joshua Johnson's bucket in the final seconds gave Miles a 39-28 lead at the half.
But Miles would not put the Magicians away easily. The home team would cut its deficit to 49-48 before Johnson scored a couple of buckets as part of a 6-0 run. Then Wright and
E. Reginald Smalls (seven points) made back-to-back 3-pointers to start a 14-4 run, climaxed by two more triples from Wright, one as the shot clock wound down, the other with a man right in his face, to give the Golden Bears a 72-56 lead - their biggest of the game - with 5:41 left. Wright would make his final 3-pointer inside the three-minute mark, finishing 9-of-15 from the field and 6-of-10 from downtown.
Rashawn Brown had 22 points and eight rebounds to lead LeMoyne-Owen. Johnson (10 points, nine assists, three steals) and
Aron Stewart (four points, six rebounds, six blocks) had strong outings and Cistrunk had his first double-double (10 points, career-high 10 rebounds) for Miles, which plays at Lane Monday night. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.
Â
