ST. GEORGE - Although sluggish in the first half, the Dixie State men's basketball team hit its stride after the intermission, scoring 45 points while tightening up on defense in a 74-64 win over Central Washington on Tuesday at Burns Arena.
The Wildcats (5-2), ranked No. 12 in the most recent NABC Division II poll, came up empty on their last seven possessions as DSC scored 10 unanswered points.
"We got a lot of great defensive stops down the stretch," said DSC forward Tom Whitehead.
It was Whitehead, the 6-foot-6 sophomore from Dixie High, who helped spark the club.
Trailing 51-43 with 10 minutes to go, DSC went on a 15-0 run, beginning with an Adam Ross driving lay-up, followed by a Ross steal and 11 consecutive points from Whitehead.
Though he had just one point before his sizzling stretch and only one field goal the night prior against Western Washington, Whitehead came alive, scoring on a pair of putbacks, a 3-pointer and 4-of-4 free-throw shooting.
"I didn't feel like I had a good game (Monday)," said Whitehead, who finished a calculus final less than 90 minutes before tip-off Tuesday. "I thought about that a lot all day, so I knew I needed to come out and really make a difference."
Judkins said he lit into his team during a timeout immediately preceding the spurt, telling them they were playing scared. The way the defense responded, one wonders if CWU began to play timidly.
"When your offense is struggling you have to pick up your D and get some easy baskets," Judkins said. "We finally started to run the floor and get some easy baskets."
Though trailing 58-51, the Wildcats managed to pull even at 64 on a jumper by Chris Sprinker (13 points) with 2:50 to go. The score remained deadlocked until Ryan Sanchez - who hit a leaner Monday night to force overtime in the waning seconds - knocked down another clutch shot, this time a 3-pointer with 50 seconds to go.
"I think we were just trying to penetrate and kick, get a good look," said Sanchez, who had 12 points, nine rebounds and three assists. "Dalton (Groskreutz) got in there and I think my guy went in and helped, so he just found me on the 3-point line. I knew it was good as soon as I let it go."
Johnny Spevak, who had 15 points, missed a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession. A pair of Ross free throws made it a five-point margin before CWU's Chris Scott traveled.
Groskreutz, who led DSC with 14 points, made one of two free throws, the miss significant only because that was the lone brick DSC threw at the line in the second half. The team made 20-of-21.
Another 3-pointer was off target for CWU, this one by Adam Penoncello (eight points, seven rebounds), but the Wildcats grabbed the offensive board. Colton Manti picked up a charge just seconds later. In the second half the Wildcats committed 11 turnovers and made just 1-of-12 from beyond the arc.
Sanchez credited the crowd for energizing the team, noting he was fatigued in the early going after playing 44 minutes the previous day.
"Once the adrenaline gets going, you kind of forget about the legs and your emotions take over," Sanchez said. "It's great being home. We've had two really good crowds."
Andy Palmer, a Pine View graduate, had another solid night with 11 points, five rebounds and a pair of steals. Ross had seven points, including 5-of-6 shooting from the charity stripe.
In defeating WWU and CWU on back-to-back nights, DSC dispatched two of the better teams in the west. Entering their contests with DSC, the two schools from the Evergreen State had a combined record of 11-1.
Up next for DSC is a home tilt vs. Academy of Arts on Monday, followed by another Monday-Tuesday set the following week against Mesa State and Fort Lewis.
