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By Dave Morrison
Sports Editor
For everything Jarvis Jackson did right in Tuesday night’s showdown with Voorhees College, he was afraid the one bad thing would be what was remembered.
He needn’t worry.
His teammates backed up his missed free throw with three key defensive stops in the final 30 seconds as MSU held on to knock off previously undefeated Voorhees 67-65 at the Raleigh County Armory.
Jackson, who had 14 points and eight assists — including a picture-perfect pass to Renardo “Slim” Dixon for a slam dunk with 1:30 left that gave MSU a 65-60 lead — had a chance to ice the game late.
He stepped to the line with MSU up 67-65 with 35.7 seconds left but missed the front end of the 1-and-1 opportunity.
“I felt like I let my teammates down,” Jackson said. “I had a chance to seal the deal. To miss there ... fortunately we were able to get some stops and pull it out.”
Aaron Owens also missed a pair of free throws late.
But MSU’s defense — as it had all night — stepped up.
After Jackson’s miss, Papa Gassama appeared to get a rebound and get cut. Instead, he was called for traveling when he hit the floor. On the ensuing play, the Tigers’ Horace Colfield was whistled for stepping on the end line, a call that nearly sent Voorhees coach Andre Williams ballistic.
“He was so inbounds it wasn’t even funny,” Williams said. “Even these (security) officers down here said he was not out. To take it out of the kids’ hands, it’s not right. It was a horrible call.”
“It shouldn’t even have come down to that,” MSU coach Bob Bolen said. “Pops (Gassama) got fouled when he grabbed that rebound. They came in our house and shot nine more free throws than we did. They have nothing to cry about.”
The loss was the first for No. 20 Voorhees (4-1). No. 4 Mountain State improved to 6-0.
After last year’s 104-103 barnburner in the Independent Regional title game in March, the rematch was expected to be the same. The shootout didn’t materialize, much of that because both teams struggled shooting the ball.
Voorhees shot 30.2 percent and MSU 37.1 (45.9 in the second half).
“We shot the ball horrible,” Bolen said. “But when you hold a team to 30 percent shooting, you can win games like this.”
Still, the game was tightly contested throughout.
There were seven ties and eight lead changes in the second half alone. The biggest lead was five, achieved by both teams.
The last lead change came at 58-57 when Dixon pushed through an open jumper with 4:49 left.
MSU went up five, 62-57, and then again at 65-60 on Dixon’ slam off Jackson’s well placed assist.
“We had that last game and he missed (the slam),” Jackson said. “I wasn’t going to throw it because (the Voorhees defender) was tight. But I knew Slim was athletic. I put it in a place only he could get it and he put it down.”
MSU tried to let Voorhees back in, twice fouling a Tiger on a three-point shot.
Colfield made all three to make it a two-point game.
Jackson then hit a pair of free throws with 1:02 left to push it to 67-63, but once again, MSU fouled on an attempted three. Antonio Simpson made 2-of-3, which would be the final points of the game with 0:43.3 left.
Gassama played well off the bench for MSU, grabbing 10 boards in 17 minutes, spelling a foul-plagued Yusef Baker.
“When Yusef gets in foul trouble, this is the kind of game we go to Pops for his defensive quickness,” Bolen said. “They tried to spread the floor and go 1-on-1 with us. Pops played well.”
Baker led the Cougars with 16 points and 12 boards, meaning 22 of the Cougars’ 50 boards game from the four position.
Jackson added 14 points and eight assists, Ralph Legg had 11 and Dixon 10.
Mountain State had 20 assists on 26 made field goals.
Antonio Bolton led Voorhees with 16 and Colfield had 13.
“I thought that, since Voorhees doesn’t get any respect, if we could come in here and get a win, that might help us in the national rankings,” Williams said. “It helps that we played well, but it hurts to let one slip away like we did. The good teams find a way to win.”
Voorhees will return to the Armory for the Coal Classic in January.
“It’s a huge win for us,” Jackson said. “We didn’t play well at all. But we played well enough to win.”
Voorhees made its first three treys of the game and four of its first five (then went 4-of-22 the rest of the way) in opening a 13-3 lead.
But Legg countered with a four-point play to help MSU get back in the contest.
Owens hit a three at the buzzer to give MSU its first lead of the game, 30-29 at the break.
In all there were nine ties and nine lead changes in the game.
Both teams were playing without their top offensive threat due to injury. Voorhees was without Marcele Street, a 6-foot-5 senior, and MSU was without Paul Wright, a 6-2 guard, for the sixth straight game.
— E-mail: demorrison@register-herald.com
Mountain State University 67, Voorhees 65
Voorhees (4-1)
Antonio Simpson 2-8 2-3 7, Vern Alonzo 2-4 2-5 6, Gilbert Allen 1-6 0-2 3, Antonio Bolton 5-17 4-4 16, Justin Willingham 3-8 0-0 7, Derwin Mitchell 0-0 0-0 0, Horace Colfield 3-8 4-5 13, Derrick Williams 0-1 0-0 0, Everett Pace 2-5 0-0 4, Corey Mikel 1-1 0-0 2, Jason Clarke 0-3 0-2 0, Terrance Woodbury 0-2 7-8 7, Jerrell Wilburn 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 19-63 19-29 65.
MSU (6-0)
Ralph Legg 3-13 4-5 11, Tyrice Watkins 2-6 0-0 4, Jarvis Jackson 6-14 2-6 14, Ardon Marshall 2-7 0-0 4, Yusuf Baker 6-9 3-4 16, Aaron Owens 2-8 0-2 5, Renardo Dixon 5-12 0-1 10, Papa Gassama 0-1 2-2 2. Totals 26-70 11-20 67.
Halftime—MSU 30-29. 3-Point Goals—Voorhees 8-27 (Simpson 1-6, Allen 1-3, Bolton 2-7, Willingham 1-3, Colfield 3-5, Williams 0-1, Pace 0-2), MSU 4-29 (Legg 1-8, Wilkins 0-2, Jackson 0-5, Marshall 1-3, Baker 1-2, Owens 1-5, Dixon 0-4). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Voorhees 50 (Willingham 9), MSU 50 (Baker 12). Assists—Voorhees 11 (Allen 3), MSU 20 (Jackson 8). Total Fouls—Voorhees 21, MSU 22.
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