Pitt routs Sterling in season opener
Josh Letner
Issue date: 11/19/09 Section: Sports
The Pitt State Gorillas went on a 17-0 run early in the first half and cruised to a 72-49 season opening victory over the Sterling College Warriors Tuesday night at John Lance Arena.
The Gorillas shot 60 percent from the field while holding the Warriors to just 38.5 percent from the field in the first half and took a 44-26 lead into the break.
The Gorillas' shooting cooled off in the second half as Pitt shot 40 percent from the floor, but the Warriors went ice cold, hitting just seven of 37 shots in the second half for just 18.9 percent.
"For the most part, we ran the offense well enough to get pretty good shots," coach Gene Iba said.
The Gorillas out-rebounded Sterling 46-28, including 35-18 on the defensive boards.
"I thought we played pretty well," Iba said. "That's a little harder team to deal with than most people realize because of their size. They run their offense really well and we did a nice job defensively on it for the most part. We had an advantage size wise and I thought we used it well."
Pitt was led in scoring by seniors Rodney Grace and Spencer Magana who each scored 14 points. Magana was 3-of-7 from the three-point range and 3-of-3 from the charity stripe and pulled down nine rebounds.
"They're the kind of boards that we want from our guards," Iba said. "Our guards go back to the defensive end on our shots and all of his boards were defensive boards. He did probably the best job he's done since he's been here on the boards."
Grace pulled down six boards and had two steals.
The Gorillas return to action this weekend as they host the Chatters/Comfort Inn Classic at John Lance Arena. The Gorillas will take on Haskell Indian Nations University at 7 p.m. on Friday and Missouri S&T at 7 p.m. on Saturday.
Missouri S&T will be the first Division II regional opponent that the Gorillas will face this season. A win would certainly help the Gorillas' efforts to reach the post season.
"They've really gotten to be a much better team over the last couple of years," Iba said. "We scrimmaged them a year ago and it was a struggle for us. So, both of those games should be good."
Although the season is underway, Iba hopes to see his squad continue to gel through the non-conference schedule.
"I'd like to see them get their execution better offensively," Iba said. "One of the problems has been that we've played a lot of different combinations at one time or another, so we've got to get some groups that are used to each other when they get out there."
Gorilla basketball can be heard live on 860 AM KKOW and 107.1 FM KBZI.
The Gorillas shot 60 percent from the field while holding the Warriors to just 38.5 percent from the field in the first half and took a 44-26 lead into the break.
The Gorillas' shooting cooled off in the second half as Pitt shot 40 percent from the floor, but the Warriors went ice cold, hitting just seven of 37 shots in the second half for just 18.9 percent.
"For the most part, we ran the offense well enough to get pretty good shots," coach Gene Iba said.
The Gorillas out-rebounded Sterling 46-28, including 35-18 on the defensive boards.
"I thought we played pretty well," Iba said. "That's a little harder team to deal with than most people realize because of their size. They run their offense really well and we did a nice job defensively on it for the most part. We had an advantage size wise and I thought we used it well."
Pitt was led in scoring by seniors Rodney Grace and Spencer Magana who each scored 14 points. Magana was 3-of-7 from the three-point range and 3-of-3 from the charity stripe and pulled down nine rebounds.
"They're the kind of boards that we want from our guards," Iba said. "Our guards go back to the defensive end on our shots and all of his boards were defensive boards. He did probably the best job he's done since he's been here on the boards."
Grace pulled down six boards and had two steals.
The Gorillas return to action this weekend as they host the Chatters/Comfort Inn Classic at John Lance Arena. The Gorillas will take on Haskell Indian Nations University at 7 p.m. on Friday and Missouri S&T at 7 p.m. on Saturday.
Missouri S&T will be the first Division II regional opponent that the Gorillas will face this season. A win would certainly help the Gorillas' efforts to reach the post season.
"They've really gotten to be a much better team over the last couple of years," Iba said. "We scrimmaged them a year ago and it was a struggle for us. So, both of those games should be good."
Although the season is underway, Iba hopes to see his squad continue to gel through the non-conference schedule.
"I'd like to see them get their execution better offensively," Iba said. "One of the problems has been that we've played a lot of different combinations at one time or another, so we've got to get some groups that are used to each other when they get out there."
Gorilla basketball can be heard live on 860 AM KKOW and 107.1 FM KBZI.
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