Marquette's Long Range Shooting Helps No. 17 Express Men Take Down Lorain County
Toledo, OH---Jay Marquette scored some critical points to break open a close game in the second half to help the No. 17 Express men defeat Lorain County CC 80-59.
By Nicholas Huenefeld/Owens Sports Information
Toledo, OH---Jay Marquette scored some critical points to break open a close game in the second half to help the No. 17 Express men defeat Lorain County CC 80-59.
After taking a 33-27 lead into the half, the Express saw their lead disappear in the first four minutes of the second half as Lorain led 36-35 with 16:06 left. After a lay-in from Delshawn Bell gave the Commodores a three point lead with 15:55 left, Marquette took control.
The sophomore scored on a lay-up and hit the free throw for a three point play to tie it at 38. After Tony Boykins hit back to back lay-ups to put the Express up 42-41 with 14:52 left, Marquette hit a three to stretch the lead to four.
Then, after Lorain cut the lead back to two, Marquette hit another three to make it 48-43 with 13:56 left. Following a jumper by James Kelly, Marquette hit his third 3-pointer of the half to put the Express up 53-43 with 12:21 remaining.
The Express would stretch their lead to as many as 24 with 3:48 remaining while cruising to the win.
Marquette finished with 14 points in 15 minutes. He was 5-for-8 overall from the field, and 3-for-6 from the 3-point line.
Meanwhile, Kelly added 16 points, along with eight rebounds and three blocks in 22 minutes. He fought foul trouble most of the night while finishing 7-for-13 from the field.
Joe Retic II and Justin Edmonds each added nine points, while Chris Wilson added eight rebounds in 12 minutes off the bench. Retic and Marquette each had three steals.
In a game that featured five ties and six lead changes, the Express dominated a few key categories including points in the paint (46-22), points off turnovers (32-12) and bench points (38-7). The Express forced 28 turnovers by the Commodores, while only committing 14 of their own.
Overall, the Express shot 30-for-71 (43.7 percent) from the field, while Lorain County finished 22-for-59 overall (37.3 percent).
Lorain County was led by four players in double figures including Bell (14), Doug Harper (14), Greg Fite (13) and Donald Hughes (11). Fite added a game-high 10 rebounds.
The Express (2-2) are now off until Friday when they open action in the Owens Tip-Off Classic against Kellogg Community College at 7 p.m. On Saturday, they will battle Jackson Community College at 8 p.m.