V-Hawks Split on the Road in Season Opener

DUBUQUE, Iowa -- The Men's Basketball team had their season opening tournament this past weekend in Dubuque, Iowa. The V-Hawks faced off against Saint Francis of Indiana on Friday night followed by a midday competition against Clarke on Saturday. The V-Hawks defeated Clarke 77-48 while they fell to Saint Francis 99-90. 

The V-Hawks were led offensively by Landon Thousand, Thousand put up 39 points between the two games this weekend, with 21 of them coming against Clarke. Over the weekend, he shot 55.6% from the field and 53.3% from the three point line. Thousand also added ten assists between the two games. Defensively, the team was led by Colin Adams. Adams put up 21 rebounds between the two games this weekend. On Friday night against Saint Francis, he added 13 rebounds and 21 points for his first double-double of the season. Overall, the V-Hawks shot 46.6% this weekend from the field and 42.6% from the three. They shot just 66.7% from the free throw line. 

In the match against Saint Francis, the V-Hawks exploded early on to take an early 11-2 lead, but Saint Francis fought back and took the lead at 14-13. The V-Hawks scored once again with a Carson Koepnick layup. A three pointer by Jonah Ogunsanya tied the game at 18-18, but Saint Francis responded. A couple more baskets from Carson Koepnick attempted to keep the score close, but Saint Francis got away in the first half and finished with a 39-29 lead over the V-Hawks. 

In the second half, the V-Hawks scored early on with a Colin Adams layup. Saint francis went on to score four unanswered points and the V-Hawks fell to 48-31. Kole Johnson and Landon Thousand layups brought the score closer. The V-Hawks continued to struggle in the middle of the half. With 10 mintues left, the V-Hawks scored six unanswered points with three coming from Braden Crubel. A free throw from Jack Voigt and a three pointer from Landon Thousand brought the score back within 11 points. A Carson Koepnick three pointer cut the lead to nine points with four and a half minutes remaining. Saint Francis continued to fight off the V-Hawks, but the V-Hawks continued to fight regardless. A last second three pointer from Colin Adams wasn't enough, and the V-Hawks fell 99-90. 

In the match against Clarke, the V-Hawks scored first on a three pointer from Landon Thousand. The V-Hawks held and extended their lead through most of the first half. A three pointer by Braden Crubel put the V-Hawks up by over ten points with seven minutes left in the half. Four points from Treyton Fletcher and a three pointer from Jonah Ogunsanya put the V-Hawks up by nearly 20 with four minutes left. The V-Hawks went into halftime with a 47-21 lead over Clarke. 

Out of the half, the V-Hawks didn't score for the first three minutes of the half until Colin Adams grabbed a layup followed by a Carson Koepnick jump shot. The V-Hawks struggled to score in the second half as compared to the first half, going on several stretches without scoring. A Jacob Watson three pointer put the V-Hawks at the 70 point threshold. The last points of the half were scored by Jonah Ogunsanya's layup with a minute remaining. The V-Hawks won 77-48.

UP NEXT

The V-Hawks will host their home opener on Wednesday, November 5 against Edgewood College. Tip off is set for 7pm.