(Sugar Grove, IL.) – Waubonsee Community College men's basketball team extended its' winning streak to seven games with an 85-56 win over Benedictine University's Junior Varsity on Wednesday evening in Erickson Hall Gymnasium. The Chiefs (7-1) gradually pulled away in the second half to down the Eagles (1-3). Waubonsee shot 47 percent from the floor in both halves and owned an 18-0 advantage in fast break points in scoring what turned out to be a comfortable win over Benedictine.
It certainly didn't start that way as Benedictine won the opening tip and got on the board first when Dominick Ciegotura snagged two offensive rebounds before scoring from close range. The Eagles grabbed two more offensive boards on ensuing possessions and turned both into baskets for an early 6-2 lead. Waubonsee head coach Lance Robinson quickly called a timeout to get his crew on track. The Chiefs responded with a 9-3 run over the next three minutes to grab an 11-9 lead. The score remained tight as Aboubacar Sidibe nailed a long three-pointer from the top of the key and Pat Robinson scored on a fast break lay-up to put the Chiefs in front 19-17. Two minutes later Chris Rhoades buried a long trey to knot the score at 22-all midway through the first half.
Waubonsee finally began to get the upper hand as Sidibe scored on a fast break to give the Chiefs a 30-25 lead with five minutes to go until halftime. A short time later Sidibe caused a tie-up on the defensive end and Tylon Toliver connected on a triple to extend the lead to eight points. Benedictine continued to hang around and stay within striking distance until the final minute of the half when Toliver scored on a tip-in to give Waubonsee a 40-31 lead entering the intermission. For the half the Eagles out rebounded the Chiefs 25-18 including a 13-6 on the offensive end of the floor. But Waubonsee overcame that by shooting 47 percent (17 of 36) from the floor.
Waubonsee pushed the tempo of play to start the second half and it paid dividends quickly. The Chiefs went ahead 47-33 just two minutes into the half highlighted by a Tim Taiwo drive and underhanded scoop shot in traffic for two points. Two minutes later Taiwo got ahead of the pack and threw down a one-handed slam to the delight of the home crowd and his teammates. Waubonsee maintained a double-digit lead over the next several minutes and took its' biggest lead up to that point when Zachariah Hayslett knocked down a triple to make it 63-47 halfway through the second stanza. Five minutes later the lead ballooned to 23 points at 74-51 when Jermaine Theodore and Hayslett both connected on three-pointers.
The Chiefs were in complete control as the final minutes ticked off the clock. Robinson threw down a monster two-handed slam to make it 82-56 with two and half minutes to go. JJ Strojinc then came off the bench and drilled a three-pointer not long afterwards to extend the lead to 29 points and cap off the victory.
Hayslett led Waubonsee in scoring with 19 points to go along with grabbing seven rebounds and handing out four assists. Toliver added 14 points including making three shots from beyond the arc. Taiwo booked a dozen points and dished out three assists, while Sidibe finished with 11 points, nine assists and three steals. The Chiefs forced the Eagles into 23 turnovers on the way to recording 16 steals as a team. Waubonsee also tallied 28 points off Eagles' miscues and shot a consistent 47 percent (16 of 34) in the second half as well to offset Benedictine's 46-36 advantage in rebounding. Cietogura led the Eagles with a double-double, scoring 17 points and corralling 19 boards.
Waubonsee is in action again this coming Saturday, December 7 when they travel to Danville, Indiana to take part in the annual Indiana Hoopfest. The Chiefs are set to play Indiana Elite College Academy at noon Eastern Daylight Time. Coach Robinson's crew is also on the road at Kishwaukee College on December 10 and the College of DuPage on December 12 before returning home on December 17 to host Black Hawk College. The Chiefs and Braves are set to tip off in Erickson Hall at 7:30 p.m. with the women's contest prior to that at 5:30 p.m.
