Men’s basketball starts season 2-0

Story by Bailey Conklin, Sorts Editor

The Baker men’s basketball team earned its second victory of the season after defeating Kansas Christian College 85-59 Tuesday night inside the Collins Center.

The Wildcats are now 2-0 for the season, after opening the season on Oct. 31 with a 79-72 victory over Ottawa University.

The Wildcats hit 13 three-pointers against the Braves and senior Brock Mick led the team going 5-7 from three-point range, ending the game with 25 total points.

In the Wildcats latest win, senior Tyree Peter led the team to a victory against the Falcons while posting a double-double with 21 points and 14 rebounds. Sophomore Vandy Hopson was the other Wildcat in double digits with 17 points of his own.

The Baker offense shot 46 percent from the field, while the Wildcat defense kept the Falcons from shooting 31 percent from the field.

Young and sophomore Jesus Izquierdo recorded seven rebounds each for the Wildcats.

Baker lead Kansas Christian 38-32 at halftime before pulling away in the second half, outscoring the Falcons 47 to 27.

The beginning of the season welcomes back nine Wildcats to the men’s basketball program. Senior Dan Young believes there is an advantage that comes with “knowing what we like to do and how we like to play.”

With two games played at home and two more approaching the Wildcats see both the good and the bad that comes with hosting games.

Young says one of the pros includes the comfortability of playing on a court you’ve been used to since preseason, but distractions can also come easy when playing in the Collins Center.

“That’s one of Dooley’s pet peeves,” Young said. “He watches that on film and sees who’s paying attention in timeouts and who’s in the crowd, I think that happens more at home.”

Young says with girlfriends and parents it can be easy to lose focus, but at the same time wanting to win for those who are watching can be a motivator.

The Wildcats will now host the 2017 Baker Classic inside the Collins Center. Baker first faces St. Gregory’s (Okla.) at 7:30 p.m. Friday, followed by Haskell at 4 p.m. on Saturday.

After the Baker Classic, the Wildcats will play their first game of the season away from the Collins Center. Games on the road pose a certain difficulty for the team, especially to newcomers that aren’t used to the travel time.

“It’s going to be a learning process for them, especially at a brand-new program,” Young said. “So, it could be a slow start but we’ll see on the first road game.”