Bears improved to 3-0 in conference play with win over Dolphins

Saturday, February 8, 2025: Men's Basketball

New Orleans, LA

The Baton Rouge Bears returned to conference play this afternoon at the Williamson Center on the campus of Delgado Community College, facing off against the Delgado Dolphins. This game marked the beginning of the second round of LCCAC play for the Bears. They pulled away late in the first half to secure a 72-64 victory over the Dolphins.

The first ten minutes of the game featured a back-and-forth contest, with both teams making numerous three-pointers. At the midway point of the first half, the Dolphins held a narrow lead of 25-24 over the Bears. Over the next five minutes, the game experienced two ties and two lead changes. The score was tied at 39 with 6:10 remaining in the half, but the Bears then went on a 10-3 run to end the quarter with a 40-33 advantage. Awak Machar and Imran Deen sparked the Bears' strong performance during this stretch.

In the early part of the second half, the Bears extended their lead to seven points (59-43) with 14:36 left in the game. They grew their lead to a game-high twelve points (60-48) with ten minutes remaining. Despite some runs from the Dolphins, the Bears managed to maintain at least a ten-point cushion throughout the second half, ultimately winning the game 72-64 and moving to 3-0 in conference play. This marks the third time the Bears have started a conference season with a 3-0 record.

Kialen Phillips led the Bears in scoring with 14 points. He was joined by Awak Machar, who contributed 13 points. For the Dolphins, Lionel Larvadian led all scorers with 22 points, while two of his teammates also reached double figures.

With this victory, the Bears improved their record to 13-8 (3-0), while the Dolphins fell to 5-17 (1-2). Historically, Baton Rouge leads the all-time series against Delgado with 32 wins to 15 losses.

Bears Highlights:

Kialen Phillips led the Bears with 14 points, and   6 rebounds 

Awak Machar scored 13 points and grabbed  4 rebounds 

Imran Deen grabbed 10 rebounds 

LCCAC Standings (as of 2/8/25):

Baton Rouge: 3-0 

Delgado: 1-2 

Southern Shreveport: 0-2 

The Bears will step out of conference play on Tuesday, February 11, when they face the John Melvin University Millers at the Bonne Sante Wellness Center. Tip-off is set for 6 PM.

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