NORTH MANCHESTER, IND. – Manchester University head coach Josh Dzurick, like many collegiate coaches, is a big proponent of team basketball.
He received that, as his 2014-15 Spartans turned in a key 66-58 win over Hanover College in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference action Saturday, Jan. 17. Encouraged on by a raucous home crowd inside Stauffer-Wolfe Arena, the Black and Gold, winning for the fifth time in the last six contests, roared out to an 18-4 lead less than eight minutes in. MU had to withstand a furious rally by the visiting Panthers (9-6, 5-3 HCAC) that led the visitors to as large as a two-point edge in the second stanza before the home side, much to the delight of its fans, iced the decision with a 7-2 run over the final 2:53.
"Team basketball is very important (at Manchester University)," Dzurick noted. "All five starters finished in double figures, while our bench did a strong job of making the most of their opportunities. With those two things working well, it makes for a tough assignment for the opposition.
"This is a good win, but they all are (in the HCAC)," he added. "Hanover is a quality program that has been strong historically which is shown by getting to the conference tournament championship over the last few seasons, so it's good to see us be able to play like this."
Senior center Alyssa Hammond (Osgood, Ind.) led the scoring parade with 13 points and also made her presence in the paint known on defense with two blocked shots. Senior forward Abby Lang (Indianapolis, Ind.) added 11 points and also picked off two of the Spartans' 11 steals, while senior guard Alyssa Smith (Bluffton, Ind.) turned in a memorable afternoon, registering a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds to go with three assists and two steals. Junior guard Katie Arterburn (Indianapolis, Ind.) and senior guard Jocelyn Hamilton (Columbus, Ind.) each added 10 points.
MU closes the first half of the conference slate Wednesday, Jan. 21 with a trip to Bluffton University of Ohio. Tip-off is 7:30 p.m.
NOTES: Hammond's double-digit effort was her 11th of the season and kept her atop the Spartans' season scoring chart (11.1 points per game) … Smith's 11 rebounds, part of her first MU double-double, were a personal season high and the second time she's tallied 10-or-more … Hamilton's team-leading four assists continued a run of six successive multiple-assist outings … The eight-point margin marked the 11th time in the last 15 meetings that the two sides have been separated by 10-points-or-less and helped move Manchester University into a four-way tie for third in the HCAC.