The Skyhawks left no doubt as they handily beat the 2-11 Western Illinois Leathernecks 70-81 to end a five-game skid and improve to 6-8 in the OVC.
All 10 of the Skyhawks who saw the court would go on to put points on the board and seven of the 10 recorded steals as the Skyhawks forced 22 points off of turnovers with their defensive pressure.
Not much stress was included in the win for the Skyhawks, as they would trail for a mere 1:14 of the game. The Skyhawks would take the lead with a Matija Žužić jumper with 13:42 remaining in the first half, which would spart a 17-2 run for the Skyhawks, who would hold the lead for the rest of the game.
Leading the Skyhawks was junior guard Tarence Guinyard, who scored 20 points, six rebounds, and four assists. Guinyard leads the Skyhawks in scoring on the season and was the driving force of a strong win over the Leathernecks.
Other contributors include senior forward Vladimer Salaridze (18 points; 2 steals) who returned from injury and freshman forward Filip Radaković (11 points).
The Skyhawks held Western Illinois at bey despite a 27-point effort from senior guard Marko Maletic, who went 8-14 from beyond the arc.
“I am so happy for our guys,” said head coach Jeremy Shulman, “They’ve battled their tails off all year and this is a good feeling that we haven’t felt in a little while and they deserve it.”
Shulman went on to single out junior guard/forward AJ Hopkins as a player that really pulled the team together. Despite being banged up, Hopkins reentered the rotation and made an immediate defensive impact while also providing a shooting threat for the Skyhawks.
“…I have a lot of confidence in him,” said Shulman, “He made a huge difference with our connectivity defensively.”
Looking ahead, the Skyhawks travel to Edwardsville, Illinois to face the 10-4 SIUE Cougars, who currently sit in first place in the OVC standings. In their last matchup, the Skyhawks defeated the Cougars 85-82 in Martin, TN.
The Skyhawks and Cougars will tip-off Thursday, Feb. 13, at 7:30 p.m.. as the Skyhawks attempt to complete the sweep of the Cougars.
