SAINT MARY-OF-THE-WOODS, Ind. — Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College used a deep, balanced lineup and strong perimeter shooting to pull away from West Virginia Tech in the second half, earning a 72–58 River States Conference victory Saturday afternoon inside the Knoerle Center.
The Pomeroys took a 34–25 lead into halftime and never let the Golden Bears get closer than single digits in the second half. SMWC shot 44.6 percent from the field and knocked down 10 three-pointers while holding WVU Tech to just 17.6 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
Taray Howell led all scorers with 14 points off the bench, going 4-for-10 from three-point range while also dishing out five assists.
Mike Ajukwa added 12 points and eight rebounds, and
Malachi Pearson contributed 11 points on a perfect 3-for-3 performance from behind the arc.
Stanley Harley chipped in nine points and
Christopher Owens added seven as the Pomeroys' bench poured in 39 points.
SMWC stretched the margin to as many as 26 points in the second half as it controlled the glass, out-rebounding the Golden Bears 40–27, and limited WVU Tech to just 58 points.
Brandon Moore led West Virginia Tech with 24 points, but the Golden Bears were unable to find consistent offense against the Pomeroys' defensive pressure.
With the win, SMWC improved to 8–8 overall and 2–2 in River States Conference play.
The Pomeroys will be back on the road on Tuesday, January 13, traveling to Oakland City for a 6 p.m. (CT) tipoff. Live stats and video coverage will be available at
SMWCAthletics.com.
