Blue Jays Use Second Half Run To Win Conference Opener Over Griffins
FULTON, Mo.—The Fontbonne University men’s basketball team jumped into conference play with hopes of earning its first win but the Blue Jays were able to use a second half surge for the 87-77 win.
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Fontbonne
0-4,0-1 SLIAC
|
43 | 34 | 77 |
|
Westminster (Mo.)
1-0,1-0 SLIAC
|
40 | 47 | 87 |
Team Stats
Westminster (Mo.)
| Game Statistics | Fontbonne | Westminster (Mo.) |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (33-73) | (33-59) |
| Field Goal % | 45.2% | 55.9% |
| Rebounds | 24 | 38 |
| Assists | 10 | 15 |
| Turnovers | 9 | 22 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 16 | 10 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 13 | 10 |
| Pts in the Paint | 46 | 36 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 10 | 13 |
| Bench Pts | 12 | 26 |
FULTON, Mo.—The Fontbonne University men's basketball team jumped into conference play with hopes of earning its first win but the Blue Jays were able to use a second half surge for the 87-77 win.
Final: Westminster 87, Fontbonne 77
How It Happened
The two teams went back-and-forth throughout the first half but a bucket from Anthony Jones gave Fontbonne the 26-24 lead at 8:01. The Griffins continued to hold its marginal lead up until the 4:50 mark when Ethan Thompson made his jumper to give Westminster the 34-32 advantage.
With 2:13 left, the Blue Jays led 40-36 but the Griffins finished the half of on a 7-0 run for the 43-40 lead at the break.
In the second half, the battle continued between the two teams with Cody McKinney draining his 3-pointer with 7:40 remaining to give Fontbonne a 67-64 lead.
However, the Blue Jays met up with Fontbonne, 70-70, on Jaxon Althaus' layup. From there, the Blue Jays used a 7-0 run to gain some breathing room at 77-70 with 3:44 left in regulation. Westminster never relinquished its lead from there and went on for the 10-point win.
Head-to-Head
- The Griffins finished shooting 45.2 percent from the floor.
- The team had its struggles from the free throw line going 5-of-13 (38.5 percent).
- Westminster shot 55.9 percent from the field and hit 13 3-pointers.
- The Blue Jays led 38-24 on the glass.
- Fontbonne totaled 46 points in the paint compared to 36 for Westminster.
Fontbonne Leaders
- Gus Kleekamp led with a season-high 18 points on 9-of-15 shooting.
- Anthony Jones added 15 points.
- Caden Clark and Elijah Rice added 12 points each.
Up Next
The team will have its home opener next Saturday when they'll host Greenville. Tip-off at 7 p.m.
Fans make sure to stay updated on fontbonnegriffins.com throughout the year for full updates and recaps on the men's basketball team.
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