DELTA MEN OPEN UP SEASON WITH CONVINCING WIN

University Center, MI-

The Delta College men's basketball team opened up their 2017-2018 campaign with a 114-88 win over the sharp shooting Rochester College Warriors.

In a first half that went back and forth, the Pioneer's swing man, Jalen Fykes hit a three pointer to push the lead to 20-10 with 13 minutes remaining.    The Warriors used their outside shooting to get back in the game and cut the Pioneers lead to two, 51-49 at the half.

The Pioneers came out of the locker room with high intensity and forced the issue on both ends of the court.  A pair of free throws by Cedric Moten capped off a 17-0 run and built the Delta lead to 68-49.  From that point on, the Pioneers continued to dominate and cruised to a 26 point victory. 

"We made some halftime adjustments and really started to push the tempo," said Pioneer head coach Carlos McMath.  "We wanted to increase our defensive pressure and wear down our opponent.  We knew if they had to work hard to get the ball up the court they wouldn't have the legs to make the outside shots."

For the night, Rochester Warriors made 15 three pointers but the Pioneers dominated the points in the paint 60-26 and forced 26 turnovers.

The Pioneers had a balanced scoring attack and had 5 guys in double figures.  They were led by Martel Handley's 26 points.  Jordan Martinus had 16 points and Cedric Moten had 12 points.  Jalen Fykes and Torandis Mack each had 11 points.  Virgil Walker had 11 rebounds. 

"The type of offensive we have allows for multiple guys to score," said McMath.  "When our offensive spacing is where it needs to be, we will be a tough team to match up with."

The Pioneers are back in action November 10^th when they travel to the KVCC Invitational.  They will match up with Kalamazoo Valley at 7:00.