FLINT, Michigan — The Mott Community College Bears didn’t have to stew for long over their loss on the road against rival Lansing last week. The Bears bounced back in a big way Wednesday night, blowing out the no. 8-ranked Stars, 79-61.
Mott (7-2) held the Stars to a paltry 30 percent shooting from the field in the first half to lead by seven at the break. Their performance was a far cry from the first meeting between the two teams, in which the Stars couldn’t miss from the perimeter.
Wednesday night, it was the Bears who had the hot hands. Led by their South Carolina sharpshooter, freshman Austin Walker, the Bears led by as many as 23 points in the second half.
Walker scored eight of his 18 points in a three-minute span early in the second half, hitting five of his nine attempts from 3-point range. Walker, Marcus Cole (shown in video above) and Diandre Wilson all scored 18 points on the night. Robert McCalley added 13 points and eight rebounds.
Isaiah Green, a high-flying sophomore forward from Southfield, led the Stars with 15 points.
The Bears started off slow, but it became clear that they were going to outwork the Stars on the defensive end. Lansing simply could not match their effort on either end of the floor.
The Bears shot 60 percent from the field in the second half and nearly 40 percent from long range.
This win, and especially the manner in which the game was won, will do a lot to raise the profile of the program moving forward. Lansing will, more than likely, be the team to beat in the Western Conference this season. For most of tonight’s game, Mott made them look very average.
Lansing (6-2) has impressive size on their frontline and some considerable athleticism, but they simply could not finish in the low post and consistently failed to close out on shooters.
A major bright spot thus far for the Bears has been the play of sophomore forward Sean Corcoran. The Flint Powers product scored eight points on seven shots and added eight rebounds. He’s filling the role played last season by Matt Place. He’s tough on defense and finishing around the basket. He has been a plus player all season.
Another Bear who is really starting to show out is freshman guard Dedrick Shannon. The Windy City product had four points, three rebounds and 10 assists in 24 minutes.
The Bears return to action on Saturday on the road against Muskegon. After Saturday, Mott will return home for five consecutive games before their battle against Schoolcraft on the road on January 14.
Listen to the Bears all season long on the Michigan Regional Sports Network at MRSN.us.
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