Saturday February 24, 2024
Baton Rouge, LA: Men's Basketball
The Baton Rouge Bears and the Southern Shreveport Jags squared off, in the Bears Den, this afternoon to determine the winner of the LCCAC. The winning team would be crowned champions and receive an automatic bid to the Region 23 tournament. The quote is Defense wins Championship and that was the case this afternoon for the Bears. The Bears would clamp down on the defensive end, in the second half, which propeled them to a 98 to 79 LCCAC victory.
In the first half, the game was a back-and-forth battle between the Bears and the Jags. Baton Rouge would open the game on an 11 to 2 run with 17:10 remaining to take an early advantage. But a conference championship was on the line and the Southern Shreveport Jags would not lay down without a fight. The Jags would storm back and pull within one, 18 to 17 with 13:15 remaining. For the next 12 minutes of the first half, the Bears lead would be no bigger than five points. At halftime, the Bears led the Jags 50 to 46.
The Bear's Den was electric at halftime as musical performer Cupid, the line dance king, performed his famous songs the Cupid Shuffle and Flex.
The energy in the gym carried over on the floor for the Bears in the second half. The Bears would clamp down on the defensive end forcing the Jags into multiple turnovers which helped propel their transition game. The Bears would open the second half on a 15-3 run, in the first five minutes of the second half, to grab a 65 to 50 lead over the Jags with 14:54 remaining. The Bears continued to pressure the Jags, in which the Jags had no answers for on their way to the 98 to 79 victory. Baton Rouge would outscore Southern Shreveport 48 to 33, in the second half.
Jarrell Love led the Bears with 28 points. The Bears had three student athletes score in double figures. Z. Cowart led the Jags with 23 points. The Jags also had three student athletes score in double figures.
Bears Highlights
Jarrell Love led all Bears with 28 points.
Jaylen Streeter added 16 points.
Seviuhn Turner scored 15 points.
With the victory the Bears improved to 13-12, 4-2 while the Jags fell to 8-9, 2-3 on the season.
With the victory the Baton Rouge Bears would claim the 2023-2024 LCCAC Title and receive an automatic bid to the Region 23 Tournament. This was the first conference title for the Bears since the 2017-2018 season.
Before the game, the Bears Coaching staff recognized the contribution of seven young men to the Bears program. The following Sophomores were honored: Jaiden Lee, Arzika Seibou, Seviuhn Turner, Corey Pope, Jarrell Love, Cameron Newman, and Jacob Barry.
The Bears will now await their opponent for the Region 23 Basketball Tournament. The Tournament will start on March 9 with a game at the higher seed. The winner of the Region 23 Tournament earns a birth to the NJCAA National Tournament in Hutchinson, Kansas.
For more information about Bears Basketball follow us on twitter at (@BRCCMensBBall) and Facebook and Instagram at (BRCCAthletics)