Dec. 29, 2008

Box Score

Southwestern University's defense returned from break without missing a beat as the Pirates defeated SUNYIT 66-57 at the Robertson Center in Georgetown, TX.

After a back and forth game that saw 3 lead changes and 3 ties in just the first 6 minutes of play, Southwestern settled and claimed the lead for good on a Ben Sanders jumper with 13:45 remaining in the first. The Pirates were sharp defensively, holding the Wildcats to just 25 points for the first half.

Southwestern started slow after halftime allowing SUNYIT to pull within two points on a Aaron Swancott three-pointer at 17:44. Junior guard Zach Bergstrom responded with a three of his own to put SU back up by 5.

The Pirates would see their lead grow to as large as 12 points after a steal and three-pointer by junior guard Anthony Cox with 7:25 left. SUNYIT would never get closer than 6 points for the remainder of the game.

SU forced SUNYIT into shooting just 20% from beyond the arc and 32.8% from the field for the game. Cox and sophomore guard Ryan Bill led the way for the Pirates with 11 points each. Cox also recorded 6 assists on the night while only committing one turnover in 29 minutes of play. Junior guard Travis Barber chipped in 10 points in the victory.

With the win, Southwestern improves to 6-3 overall on the season. Their next game will be a return to conference action on Friday, January 2nd as they host Hendrix at 6:00 p.m.