BATAVIA, Ohio- The UC Clermont Cougars got back into the win column with a 92-85 victory over Southeastern Illinois on Saturday. The Cougars led 48-41 at halftime and held off a comeback attempt by the Falcons in the second half.
Landon Naylor had 28 points, 5 steals, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. Naylor shot 8-for-10 from the free-throw line and knocked down 2 three-pointers. Kenyon Gardner had a near triple-double with 21 points, 9 blocks, and 8 rebounds. Gardner also came up with 2 steals and shot an efficient 9-for-15 from the field. Caden Zeinner had 17 points, 4 assists, 3 steals, and a block. Zeinner shot 5-for-10 from the field and 7-for-8 on the free-throw line. Luke Kirklin finished with 10 points, a team-high 9 rebounds (3 offensive, 6 defensive), 2 assists, 2 steals, and a block. AJ Austin Robinson gave the Cougars 13 points, 8 rebounds (5 offensive, 3 defensive), 2 assists, and a steal off of the bench. Robinson shot 4-for-7 from the field and 5-for-6 from the free-throw line.
Lukas Pigg shot 5-for-7 from the field and 5-for-6 from the free-throw line while finishing with a team-high 16 points. Gabe James had 15 points with a team-high 4 steals and 4 assists off of the bench. James knocked down two triples and added 4 rebounds as well. Keaton Hughes and Mitchel Edwards gave the Falcons 12 points each off of the bench. Hughes had 4 rebounds (2 offensive, 2 defensive), a steal, and a block while shooting 5-for-9 from the field and connecting on both of his free-throw attempts. Edwards finished with 3 rebounds (2 offensive, 1 defensive) and an assist while shooting 4-for-7 from the field and making 4 of his 5 free-throws. Jackson McCutchen had 13 points, 8 rebounds (2 offensive, 6 defensive), an assist, and a steal.
UC Clermont shot 45.6% (31-for-68) from the field and an incredible 87.1% (27-for-31) from the free-throw line as a team. The Cougars won the rebound battle 50-40 and had 12 assists as a team. Both teams struggled from the three-point line. The Falcons shot 22.7% (5-for-22) from three, while the Cougars shot 15.8% (3-for-19) from three. Southeastern Illinois shot 41.4% (29-for-70) from the field, shot 78.6% (22-for-28) from the free-throw line, and had 10 assists as a team. The Falcons turned the ball over 16 times while the Cougars turned it over just 8 times.
UC Clermont improves to 17-6 overall and will host Wright State Lake in the Phil Sinkovich Alumni Classic on Tuesday at 6 p.m. Southeastern Illinois falls to 22-4 overall and will travel to play Wright State Lake on Sunday at 5:30 p.m.
Written by Eli Altherr