
Warner- Connors State roared out to a big first-half lead then survived a rocky spell in the second half before pulling away for a 94-77 win over the Independence (Kan) Community College Pirates Wednesday night at Melvin Self Fieldhouse to keep their record perfect at 3-0 on the young season.
The Cowboys could do little wrong in the first half as they scored 60 points to lead by 24 at intermission. Guards Aric Walls, Jaylen Lee and Jermiah Johnson combined for 29 of those 60 points while 6-9 center Edwin Daniel swept the boards clean on defense for Connors.
The Pirates were able to take advantage of Cowboy turnovers to open the second half and cut the 24-point deficit to just 12 at the 10-minute mark. But a pair of treys by Walls upped the lead back to 18 and the Pirates would get no closer than 12 the rest of the way.
Walls led all scorers with 21 points while Lee had 16, Dashaun Spence and Daniel scored 14 each and Johnson added 12 to pace the Cowboy victory. Chris Dockery was the leading scorer for the Pirates (2-1) with 19 points. Connors will play at home again Thursday night against Mid America Christian University in a 7 p.m. tipoff.