Men’s basketball defeated Presbyterian 85-67 thanks to an efficient 27 points from Simeon Cottle on Saturday at the Convocation Center.
Cottle struggled to miss on Saturday, shooting 5-of-7 from the field, 5-of-6 from three point range and a perfect 12-of-12 from the free throw line. Cottle said that despite his recent success, he’s been better on gameday than in preparation.
“Actually in practices, my shot has been kind of up and down lately,” Cottle said “Today it just felt like I woke up on the right side of the bed.”
After the Blue Hose started the game with a 1-0 advantage due to an administrative technical foul, the Owls began the game on a 21-3 run, not allowing a Presbyterian field goal till the 13:40 mark of the first half.
The Owls’ lead swelled to as large as 25 in the first period when Adrian Wooley made a layup to extend the advantage to 39-14, with 5:48 remaining in the period.
Wooley, who finished with 13 points, all in the first half has reached double-figures in all four games to start his collegiate career.
Presbyterian was able to draw within 16 points in the second half with 10:01 to play in the game, before Cottle kicked off a 15-8 run with a three pointer to put the game essentially out of reach.
“It’s a great blessing to have a guy like (Simeon Cottle) that’s been with me a year already that knows our style of play, knows the plays, knows what I want,” Owls coach Antoine Pettway said. “He has that type of confidence, I want him playing with a freedom.”
Freshman forward Braeden Lue did not start the game, but in 24 minutes posted nine points and 11 rebounds, his first time in double figures.
Senior guard Ricardo Wright provided a spark off the bench with 15 points in his 22 minutes on the floor.
The Owls won several challenges for 50-50 balls throughout the game, leading Pettway to praise the team’s effort.
“(I was) super impressed,” Pettway said. “That was something we talked about, being ready to play and being who we say we are. The hardest working and hardest playing team. We got a saying, there’s no 50-50 balls, it should be 80-20 us. So when that ball is on the floor, to see guys like Ricardo Wright, Simeon Cottle, AD (Wooley), Rongie (Gordon) putting their face on the ball – Those are winning plays, it trickles down the team. They’re connected, and they want to win.”
The Owls stay home this week, hosting Abilene Christian on Wednesday night and Rutgers on Sunday afternoon at the Convocation Center.
