2008 Woodie Awards
Gorilla men rebound after tough loss
Kathleen Groves
Issue date: 2/21/08 Section: Sports
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Center Cory Abercrombie was the night's standout, scoring a whopping 26 points, followed by guard Spencer Magana and forward Jeff Ivory, who each scored 16.
Tonight's win comes after the men's basketball team took a hard loss last Saturday, losing to Northwest Missouri 67-46, sending the team to a seventh place MIAA tie with Emporia.
"We're still struggling some on defensive rebounding, we're not blocking out as much as we should be," said head coach Gene Iba.
Iba also said that defensive stumbles could have been what hurt the Gorillas last weekend.
The team took to the court against rival Emporia, which had suffered a four-game losing streak, on Wednesday night.
"Emporia does a number of things very well," Iba said. "They shoot the ball really well."
Going into the game, the Gorillas had a strong hold with a 15-8 overall record and a 6-8 MIAA standing. Emporia's record stood close to Pittsburg's, at 11-12 overall and 6-8 MIAA.
This weekend, the team will face off against Southwest Baptist. As of Feb. 19, Southwest held a record of 18-5. In their last confrontation, the Bearcats walked with an 85-61 win over Pittsburg.
As for the remainder of the season, Iba and his team are planning on taking it one game at a time.
"I never worry too far ahead. All that we concentrate on is the next game coming up," said Iba. "You get yourself in trouble when you plan too far ahead."
The Gorillas have two games remaining in the regular season, against Missouri Southern and Truman, before post-season play begins.
"Our team is capable of doing some good things in the post season, but we'll have to see," said Iba. "One little slip, and that can be it."
The Gorillas tip off against Southwest Missouri in their home stadium at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 20.
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