Scots Run Roughshod Past Owls 112-61
SWANNANOA, N.C. – Maryville made it four wins in four states over the last eight days with a monster 112-61 thumping of Warren Wilson here Sunday afternoon.
Scots head coach Raul Placeres has his team touring most of the eastern third of the USA, and it has paid off to the tune of a 7-2 record and seven consecutive victories. This despite eight of the first nine games being away from home! The lone exception was Saturday's 87-84 overtime thriller against Washington & Lee, and the Scots showed no ill effects in their second game in 24 hours.
"I'm incredibly proud of how resilient they have been," Placeres said. "After that first tournament, we've gotten better each and every game, and that's the mark of a team that has the potential to be really good this season. We've just got to continue to work.
"We're really proud of the fact that this is the second time we've been able to win both games on a back-to-back. To win a championship in our league, you have to do that."
Maryville completed a 3-0 week for the second time this season. Add in last Sunday's triumph at Averett and the Scots went 4-0 with wins in Virginia, Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina.
"When we started at Averett last Sunday, we wanted to win the week. And we won four in a row. We knew it was going to be challenging, but the guys rose to the challenge each and every game, and today was no different.
60-Point Second Half
Sunday's point total was the highest for the Scots since a 122-65 win over Johnson back on Nov. 21, 2013. Maryville led 52-35 at halftime and outscored the host Owls 60-26 in the second half.
The Scots put four players in double figures, with Jackson Garner scoring a season-high 22. Chase Morgan and Reed Kemp scored 16 apiece, and Hayden Treadwell added 10 off the bench on perfect shooting. Treadwell was 3-of-3 from the floor and 4-of-4 from the line.
"We had four guys in double figures today, highlighted by Mr. Hayden Treadwell, who had a career high as a college player. I'm really proud Hayden because he brings it every day, he's a really good leader, he loves his teammates and he loves the program, and that means a lot to me."
Maryville continued its hot shooting, finishing this game at 58.1 percent from the floor and 9-of-21 for 42.9 percent from three. For the week, the Scots shot 53.0 percent from the floor and 45.7 percent from beyond the arc.
Rice Managing the Show
The Scots forced 23 turnovers and committed just seven, led by Daryl Rice. The senior point guard had seven assists and four steals without a turnover. For the season, Rice is at 41 assists and just nine turnovers for an assist-to-turnover ratio of 4.56. Javi Rosell sparked again, scoring four points with six assists and three rebounds against just one turnover in 11½ minutes.
Garner was 5-of-8 from three and Kemp was 3-of-6. Kemp for the week averaged 27.0 points and was a blistering 15-of-28 from downtown.
Maryville held Warren Wilson (1-8) to 39.7 percent shooting and 7-of-29 from 3-point distance. The Owls were led by 13 points from Dylan Wheatley.
MC now has a break for finals, resuming play Dec. 15 at Greensboro.
'I'm really proud of our maturity as a team today," Placeres said. "We definitely showed that in the second half.
"We'll continue to hit the weight room and we want to finish strong in the classroom. There is a correlation between classroom success and on-the-court performance, so that's a priority for us and I know the guys will continue their focus there. Other than that, we will take a few days off and then start turning our thoughts to Greensboro."