JONESBORO (12/8/07) ? Four players scored in double figures to lead Arkansas State to a 101-49 victory over Central Baptist College Saturday evening in the Convocation Center.
Junior Yima Chia-Kur led all Indian scorers with 17 points followed by Ryan Wedel and Jeremy Thomas, each of whom had 13, and Shawn Morgan who added 11.
“Everyone played hard,” said Head Coach Dickey Nutt. “Yima did some good things; in fact, overall, everyone had a good game. I thought we shot the ball well and defended well. We came in and did what we had to do.”
ASU jumped out to the quick lead when Kewain Gant got things started with an early layup. Chia-Kur followed with two buckets, including a three-pointer, a couple of free throws and a trey by Ryan Wedel helped the Indians pull away, 14-4.
Everyone got in on the action as Nutt emptied the bench throughout the first half. ASU went in at halftime, leading by 33 points, 54-21. Morgan led the Tribe with 10 points while Chia-Kur added nine, Wedel had eight, and Ifeanyi Koggu added seven to pace ASU in the first period.
The Indians picked up in the second half where they left off also scoring at will. ASU shot 59.4 percent for the game, while Central Baptist shot 33.3 from the field. CBU's Trad Williams led the Mustangs with 14 and Daron Hall had 11. The Tribe led by as much as 56 points, including scoring 45 bench points and 46 in the paint.
Mike Lance, Ifeanyi Koggu, Logan Nutt, and P.J. Keaton all came off the bench to score career highs along with Chia-Kur and Thomas. Lance and Koggu had nine, Nutt added eight along with six rebounds and five assists, and Keaton added six. Morgan, Gant, Thomas and Nutt led all Indians on the boards with six apiece.
ASU will take some time off to complete final exams before returning to play Ball State on Dec. 16 in the Convocation Center. Tipoff is 1 p.m.
“We need a couple of days off,” said Nutt. “We've got to get Wedel well. I'm sure you could tell he was hobbling a little and not at full speed. We'll rest a couple of days and then get back on the floor.”
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