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Stricklen's late trey gives Bears 74-71 win at Co-Lin

By: Michael D. Gunnell, Southwest Sports Information
Querrion Gadson
Chuck Barnes

Men's Basketball | 1/26/2021 6:04:00 AM

Tada Stricklen's three-pointer with 0:4.1 left on the clock gave the Bears a nail-biting 74-71 win over rival Co-Lin Monday night in Wesson. The season-opening win was the Bears' first at Co-Lin since 2013.
 
Things looked bleak for the Bears in the first half as a 15-3 run put the hosts up 19-9 with 13:32 left in the first half.
 
With three pointers from Walker Moreland and Mazae Blake serving as bookends, the Bears then went on an 18-3 run of their own to take a 27-22 lead with 6:06 on the clock.
 
The final minutes of the half saw two ties and three lead changes before a last-second shot left Co-Lin (1-1) with a 38-37 advantage at intermission.
 
The game remained tight in the second half with seven ties and nine lead changes. The Bears took their largest lead of the night, 50-44, on Moreland's trey with 13:43 to play.
 
After being outscored 17-9 and falling behind 61-59, a jumper and two free throws from Michael Barber put the Bears on top 63-61, with 6:53 to go.
 
Overtime looked to be in the works after a Co-Lin bucket tied the game at 71-71 with only 0:24.8 on the clock. But, the Bears had other ideas as they drove the length of the court and Stricklen found the mark from long range.
 
"Anytime you can get a win on the road against your rival (it is big)," said Bears head coach Bryan Bender. "We're very fortunate. We made some big plays down the stretch, we got stops down the stretch."
 
"We were in Covid protocol and only had three days of practice (before the game)," Bender continued. "It shows the resilience with our group, being able to handle adversity, being able to compete on the floor and play together and find ways to win. Tada obviously hit that huge shot to seal the game; players make plays & he's a player."
 
Barber turned in a double-double in his debut with the Bears, scoring 21 points and pulling down 17 rebounds. Stricklen netted 18 points while Blake totaled 11.
 
The Bears made 17 of 23 free throws.
 
JD Allen paced the Co-Lin offense with 16 points. He and his teammates were 6-11 at the free throw line.
 
The Bears return to the court, and make their home debut, on January 28 when they host East Central. Tipoff is set for 6:00.
 
 
 
 
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Players Mentioned

Tada Stricklen

#4 Tada Stricklen

G
6' 0"
Redshirt Sophomore
Zae Blake

#5 Zae Blake

G
6' 1"
Freshman
Walker Moreland

#11 Walker Moreland

G
6' 0"
Freshman
Michael Barber

#13 Michael Barber

F/C
6' 8"
Redshirt Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Tada Stricklen

#4 Tada Stricklen

6' 0"
Redshirt Sophomore
G
Zae Blake

#5 Zae Blake

6' 1"
Freshman
G
Walker Moreland

#11 Walker Moreland

6' 0"
Freshman
G
Michael Barber

#13 Michael Barber

6' 8"
Redshirt Sophomore
F/C