Tritons Get Big Win Over Iowa Western
With only five regular season games left and finding themselves in a tight race in the middle of the ICCAC conference standings, every game is an important one for the Triton Men's Basketball team. A fast start on Saturday (2/8) afternoon led to a 73-54 victory over Iowa Western in a game they would control from start to finish.
"We needed that one after a tough loss at #4 DMACC on Wednesday," said Triton Head Coach, Ryan Kirsch. "We're still hoping to host a Regional Tournament game. This one puts us right back in the middle of the pack."
The Tritons jumped out to a quick six point lead over the Reivers in the first four minutes and stretched it to a 35-22 lead at the half. The Reivers would close to within six early in the second half, but the Tritons continued to answer with big shots when they needed them and would lead by as many as 23 points in the victory.
"We came out hot. We ran our offense really well and continued to take time of the clock," Kirsch said. "We controlled the game. I was very happy to see that from us."
Daviyon Gaston led the way for the Tritons with 22 points, five rebounds, and two steals. Aleix Sempere Serrano had a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Terrius Walker came off the bench and pulled down 10 rebounds to go with his six points.
"Daviyon finished around the rim and played tremendous defense for us today," said Kirsch, on his key players. Aliex came out and played his best game of the year and Terrius had another solid effort for us."
The Tritons dominated on the boards, outrebounding the Reivers 45-27. They also forced 16 turnovers and had five steals. "Our on-ball defense was really good," said Kirsch about the Tritons defensive effort. "We held Bryson (Calamese) to just ten points after scoring 40 when we played them in Council Bluffs. I like how we responded to the challenge. We played solid defense all night."
The win moved the Tritons to 13-11 (7-8 conference) and just one game back from fifth in the conference standings. Up next for the Tritons is a trip to Columbus, NE for a matchup with Columbus Community College on Ednesday, February 12th. Tip is set for 6:00 PM.
Statistical Leaders vs. Iowa Western –
Points – Daviyon Gaston (22), Aleix Sempere Serrano (14), Jalen Wynter (11), Three Tritons tied with 6
Rebounds- Aleix Sempere Serrano (13), Terrius Walker (10), Daviyon Gaston (5), Irakli Akhalaia (3)
Assists – Lane Campbell (3), CJ Mitchell (2), Aleix Sempere Serrano (2)
Steals – Jordan Cain (2), Daviyon Gaston (2), Lane Campbell (1)