Shelton pulls away late to snap Indians’ three game win streak

Shelton pulls away late to snap Indians' three game win streak
Adam Gore/LetsGoICC.com

TUSCALOOSA, AL – The Itawamba Community College Indians saw nationally ranked Shelton State Community College snap their three-game win streak after pulling away late for a 85-59 win on Monday.

"When people look at the box score tomorrow they are going to see a total different game than what was actually played tonight," said ICC head basketball coach Grant Pate. "The guys gave us a great effort and never back down, but in the end Shelton proved why they are one of the best teams in the nation."

The Indians trailed by six late in the second half until Shelton State connected on six-straight three pointers to pull ahead by 24 in the blink of an eye.

"The bottom fell out on us," said Pate. "I've never seen anything like that. They switched their style of pressure on us and it really seemed to catch the guys by surprise. Before we could regroup, one guy got hot and then another and another."

Shelton had only connected on three other three pointers before that pivotal point of the contest.

"I was proud of the guys on how they stood toe-to-toe with one of the best teams in nation," said Pate. "Even though we lost, I felt like we showed a lot of improvement and maturity from the first game of the season and hopefully that's something we can carry over for the rest of the season."

Sophomore Deontaye Ewing (Tupelo) scored a team-high 12 points while freshman Mike Brand (Starkville) came off the bench to score 11 in the loss.

"Mike has shown a lot of improvement over the past few games," Pate commented. "We knew he had the potential to being a guy that could really contribute to the team as a scorer and tonight he showed that."

Sophomore point guard Quintin Lee (Ripley, TN) added 10 points for the Indians.

D'ariel Franklin came off the bench to score game-high 18 points while three other players scored in double digits for Shelton State.