JOURNAL SPORTS
College basketball’s official Opening Day Monday provided a showcase for several local and area colleges, including Bossier Parish Community College, which staged a “Military Appreciation Night” and outran a team from Barksdale AFB 120-56.
Cavaliers’ sophomore star Tony Montgomery dumped in 31 points, sinking 9 of 13 on 3-point shots. The point guard added 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 5 steals.
Jakobe Shepeard posted 18 points, 5 rebounds, 4 blocks and 3 steals for BPCC, while Javon Barbee contributed 14 points and 4 assists. Gavin Milligan scored 10, Dustin Welch 9 and Kristopher Jackson grabbed 11 rebounds and barely missed a double-double with 9 points.
“We got a great all-around team effort tonight, a lot of unselfish play,” said Bossier Parish second-year head coach Jeff Moore. “We played well in transition and rebounded on both ends very well.”
The Cavaliers play Thursday at Arkansas-Cossatot CC in a 1 o’clock game designed to showcase the teams on “Elementary School Day.”
In NCAA Division I action Monday involving area colleges:
GRAMBLING 89, NORTHERN ILLINOIS 87 (MEN): In Rock Hill, S.C., Isaiah Miranda scored 29 points on 10-of-12 shooting, and hot-shooting Grambling State held off the NIU Huskies in the final minute Monday at the Rock Hill Sports & Event Center.
The game, which tipped at 3 a.m. EST Monday, was part of the Field of 68 Opening Day Marathon.
Dwayne Pierce added 19 points and eight assists for the Tigers, who shot a sizzling 64 percent from the field and outscored the Huskies 48-28 in the paint.
Miranda made four of his five 3-point attempts, finished with eight rebounds and blocked three shots.
LOUISIANA TECH 85, KENT STATE 75 (MEN): In Ruston, Braylon Wenger scored 21 of his 28 points after halftime as the Bulldogs captured their season opener while sinking 52 percent from the floor. The game was part of the Mid-America Conference vs. Sun Belt series of season-openers dubbed the MAC/SBC Challenge.
LADY TECHSTERS 61, TOLEDO 57: In northern Ohio, the Techsters handed coach Brooke Stoehr her 250th career college win as they pulled off a gritty fourth quarter to quiet 3,844 fans inside of Savage Arena Monday night in a MAC-SBC Challenge contest.
A 21-14 fourth quarter and 7-0 run with less than a minute left propelled the Lady Techsters past the Rockets. Trailing as much as six in the fourth, Tech scored 14 points in the paint and shot 72.7 percent from the field in the final quarter.
Jordan Marshall had game highs of 14 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Techsters.
BAYLOR 87, NORTHWESTERN STATE 65 (MEN): The Demons showed some toughness weathering a fast-starting Baylor team that notched exhibition victories over preseason national No. 1 Florida and No. 3 Illinois.
The Bears hit eight of their first nine shots to take control, but didn’t blow away the visitors, who never got closer than 13 points afterward.