Tuesday November 14, 2023: Men's Basketball

Baton Rouge, LA

The Baton Rouge Bears were on the verge of upsetting the #18 Pearl River Wildcats, this evening in the Bears Den, but some late magic allowed Pearl River to escape the Bears Den with a 61 to 57 victory.

In the first eight minutes of the first half, the game was tight. In those eight minutes, the game saw seven lead changes and four ties. At the eight minute mark of the half, the game was tied at 18. The Bears would then go on a mini 11 to 5 run to take a six-point lead;29-23 over the Wildcats. The run was fueled by Arzika Seibou's  eight points.. The Bears used some aggressive defense to keep the Wildcats out of their primary offense. The Wildcats relied heavily on their inside play and offensive rebounding to score throughout the night.  At the half, the Bears led the Wildcats 33 to 31.

In the opening minutes of the second half both teams traded buckets and the lead. The Bears would go on a mini 9 to 3 run to open a 44 to 39 lead with 11:19 to play. Pearl River would fight and scrape back to tie the game at 48 with a 10 to 4 run of their own with 5:58 to play. The Bears would hold a two-point lead with 50 seconds to go when Tyrael- Cage Heke would hit one of two free throws to give the Bears a 57 to 55 lead. The Wildcats would go down and get fouled on a lay-up with 32.4 seconds left to take a 58 to 57 lead over the Bears. The Bears would have multiple shots down the stretch, but Pearl River would convert on some free throws to seal the 61 to 57 victory.

With the loss, the Bears dropped to 2-3, while the Wildcats improved to 3-1 on the season. This was the twenty-second meeting between the two teams. Pearl River leads the series record 21 to 1.

The Bears were led in scoring by Arzika Seibou who had 12. Pearl River Wildcats were led, in scoring, by Austin Green with a game high 19 points. Three Wildcats scored in double figures.

Bears Highlights:

Arzika Seibou led all Bears with 12 points, which were all game in the first half.

Jaylen Streeter added 11 points.

Reginald Stoner Jr chipped in with 10.

The Bears will hit the road this Thursday November 16 as they travel to Decatur, Mississippi to take on the East Central Warriors at 7:30 pm.

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