Indian Hills Stays Alive With Win in Hutch

Hutchinson, Kan. -- Gary Ricks, Jr. ignited a 12-0 run with back-to-back three-pointers, then added another trey after a Roderick Bobbitt layup as Indian Hills ran off 11 points in less than a minute and kept its season alive with a 79-70 win against East Mississippi in the consolation bracket of the NJCAA Division I Basketball Championship.

Ricks' trio of 3s helped turn the game around after the Warriors had trailed for most of the first 23 minutes.

Except for 1:14 at the outset of the contest, East Mississippi led throughout the first half and for the first few minutes of the second half.

D.J. Bennett, who along with Jameel McKay led IHCC with 16 points, had consecutive field goals to start the second half. With the game tied at 37-all, Ricks found his three-point stroke. He buried two in a row and then a third to make it 48-37.

Ronnie Stevens added a free throw to complete Indian Hills' 12-0 run and the Warriors eventually built the lead to 16 points.

Bennett and McKay each had five field goals in the second half when IHCC outscored the Lions, 50-37.

The two teams combined for 64 fouls, the fourth highest total for two teams in a national tournament game.

There were also 84 free throws and 48 turnovers. The most important stat, however, was the Warriors' 31st win, which means they are still playing in the tournament, with their next game scheduled for Friday.

INDIAN HILLS 79, EAST MISSISSIPPI 70

INDIAN HILLS Brandon Spearman 3 2-6 9, Gary Ricks, Jr. 5 0-0 15, DeAndray Buckley 1 2-6 4, Michael Haynes 0 1-2 1, D.J. Bennett 7 2-4 16, Kieran Woods 0 0-0 0, Jameel McKay 7 2-8 16, Roderick Bobbitt 1 8-8 10, Ronnie Stevens 0 4-6 4, Trinson White 0 4-6 4, Rawane Ndiaye 0 0-0 0, Gary Ross 0 0-0 0 Team 24 25-46 79

EAST MISSISSIPPI Tradarrius McPhearson 6 3-6 16, Colin Borchert 4 7-9 17, Millaun Brown 3 0-0 6, Curtis Hall 4 4-4 12, D.J. Evans 2 1-2 7, Deon Bradford 1 1-2 4, Lakin Ford 0 0-0 0, A.J. Wade 0 4-6 4, Jalen Houston 0 6-9 6 Team 19 26-38 70

Halftime score: East Mississippi 33, Indian Hills 29; Three-point field goals: IHCC 6 (Ricks 5, Spearman 1), EMCC 6 (Borchert, Evans 2; McPhearson, Bedford 1)