Date: November 24, 2008
Contact: Yancey Walker, Head Coach
Grizzly Basketball Office
417-255-7993

    WEST PLAINS, Mo. – For the second time in less than two weeks, the Missouri State University-West Plains Grizzlies have defeated Carl Albert State College, Poteau, Okla., on the basketball court.
    The Grizzlies (5-4) earned their most recent win over the Vikings Saturday, Nov. 22, at the West Plains Civic Center by the score of 96-78.
    The contest proved close in the first half, with both teams showing improvement since their first battle on Nov. 12.  At halftime, the Grizzlies held a narrow 47-45 advantage.  In the second half, though, the Grizzlies turned up the heat and outscored the Vikings 49-33 to take the win.
    “Carl Albert played well the first half and had an unbelievable shooting percentage,” Grizzly Head Coach Yancey Walker said.  The Vikings connected on 61.5 percent of their shots from the field in the first period and was 50 percent from the three-point line.  Walker said the Grizzlies made several adjustments at halftime that cut the Vikings’ shooting by nearly 20 percentage points and kept them off the offensive boards.
    Meanwhile, the Grizzlies increased their offensive output, connecting on 69 percent of their shots from the field in the second half, compared to 59 percent in the first half.  They also shot 63 percent from the three-point line in the second half.
    Overall, the Grizzlies hit 12 of 22 long-range shots, with eight of them coming from sophomore Devon Peltier.  Peltier, a 5-11 guard from St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, led all scorers with 32 points.  He was followed in the Grizzly scoreboard by sophomore point guard Anthony Allison with 20 points and sophomore center Chris Williams with 12.  Other Grizzlies scoring included freshmen Taylor Jones with 9, Rae-Vonn Banks 8 and Terrell Bruce 7, sophomore Logan Nutt 6, and freshman Xavier Jones 2.
    Williams led the team in rebounding with eight, and Nutt led the team in assists with 14.  Banks had two blocks, and Peltier was credited with four steals.
    Walker noted Peltier hit 12 of 18 field goals for the night, Allison hit six of 10 and made eight of 13 free throws, and Williams connected on six of his eight basket attempts.
    Next up for the Grizzlies is an appearance in the University of Arkasas-Fort Smith Thanksgiving Classic tournament Friday and Saturday, Nov. 28-29, in Fort Smith, Ark.  The Grizzlies will play at 3 p.m. both days, facing Ranger College of Ranger, Texas, Friday and Trinity Valley Community College of Athens, Texas, Saturday.
    Walker expects the Trinity Valley contest to be “tough, hard-fought.  If we come out ready to play, we’ll be in good shape.”  Although Ranger hasn’t been a traditional power in JUCO circles, Walker said the Grizzlies cannot take them for granted.  “We must be ready to play,” he said.
    For more information about the Grizzly Basketball team or for complete game statistics, visit the Grizzly Basketball Web site at http://www.wp.missouristate.edu/grizzly/bb.htm.