This past Saturday, the Buccaneers hosted Fort Wayne University in Freedom Hall Civic Center.
The Bucs came into the matchup with a 2-3 record on the year, fresh off an upsetting loss to Troy. Likewise, the Fort Wayne Mastodons came into the matchup with a 2-3 record also coming off a major defeat at the hands of the Kentucky Wildcats.
The Bucs were hungry to get back in the win column, and they would not be denied. The game began with the Bucs and Mastodons trading blows. Shot after shot, the two schools fought and traded leads many times.
The difference in the game came through the guard, Jalan McCloud (Fort Worth, Texas). The 5-11 senior turned in one of the best performances of his career by finishing with 25 points, nine rebounds and six assists. He provided the spark that the Bucs offense needed that night.
McCloud had some support from fellow senior teammate Desonta Bradford (Humboldt, Tennessee). The senior guard was able to contribute 16 points and pull down 6 rebounds.
Heading into the locker-room at halftime, the Bucs had a slim 52-47 lead. With the game being so close, big time players would need to step up to carry the Bucs to victory.
With the game clock running down, the Bucs were able to get it done under pressure by producing some fantastic numbers at the charity stripe.
Within the last two and a half minutes of play, Bradford and other fellow senior Peter Jerkin (Juba, South Sudan) were able to come in clutch, hitting 10 free throws combined to put the game out of reach for the Mastodons.
Overall, the Bucs were able to shoot 84 percent from the free throw line and knock down 28 of 33 for the night.
With the eye-catching performance of McCloud, coupled with the consistent shooting at the free throw line, the Bucs were able to prevail over the Mastodons with a score of 83-73.
On Wednesday night, the Bucs traveled far from home to the Bronx, New York, where they were facing Fordham University.
The Bucs headed into that matchup averaging 71 points a game. Interestingly enough, Fordham is only giving up 62 points a game.
