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'Runners start season on right foot
By Eric Lansing
lansing@mscd.edu

Photo by Heather A. Longway-Burke • longway@mscd.edu Shooting guard Marquise Carrinton, right, blows by Angelo State shooting guard Trey Mays in an 82-70 win against the Rams on Nov. 17 at the Auraria Event Center.

It was just another season opener for the men’s basketball team, except that the man who ran the Roadrunners for the past nine years was not sitting in his normal spot.

Former head coach Mike Dunlap, who coached the Roadrunners to a 248-50 record, four regular-season Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference titles and two Division II national championships, has moved on to NBA ranks as an assistant coach for the Denver Nuggets.

Although the coaching has changed, the results were no different, as new head coach Brannon Hays led the Roadrunners to a 3-0 start on the season.

“It’s exciting,” Hays said about taking the reigns and coaching “his” team. “We got a really good group of guys. It’s a very good program with a lot of tradition, and the tradition has been the quality of the people and players. It’s been a lot of fun and exciting.”

“Coach Hays is great,” senior captain Michael Bahl said. “When I look at coach Hays, it’s not like he’s a new coach. I’ve known him for four years, and the (coaching) styles are somewhat different, but the overall presence on the floor and what we do in practice is the same stuff.”

Nov. 17 was opening night, and the Roadrunners used 20 points from Bahl and 15 points off the bench from senior guard Benas Veikalas to defeat Angelo State 82-70 at the Auraria Event Center in the Tip Off Classic.

The off-season rust was apparent for both teams, with 57 fouls called and 45 turnovers made. The Roadrunners scored 22 points off 30 Angelo State turnovers, but Metro missed 17 free throws, allowing Angelo State to hang around.

The following night was Metro’s second game of the Tip Off Classic, and the team dominated St. Leo 85-60, with Bahl scoring a career-high 26 points, including eight of 10 from 3-point range. Bahl also grabbed four rebounds, made two assists and had four steals for the night.

“I give all the credit to my teammates,” Bahl said. “They were finding me in open spots, and they know where I shoot the ball best.”

“He was the only thing we had going in the first half,” Hays said of Bahl’s 23 first-half points. “He hit a number of big shots that kept us in the lead.”

Metro had three other players in double figures, including forward Jesse Wagstaff with 16 points, guard Marquise Carrington with 10 points and seven assists, and Veikalas, who came off the bench to add 15 points and six rebounds.

“I’m just trying to do my role,” said Veikalas, who redshirted last season. “It doesn’t matter if I start or come off the bench, I’m just trying to give it my best every day.”

Metro’s first big test came against Seattle University on Nov. 22 at the Auraria Event Center, where both teams entered the contest with a 2-0 record. Seattle had just beaten nationally ranked Sonoma State the previous weekend, with their star point guard Sam Kirby being named Great Northwest Athletic Conference Co-Player of the Week for his performances against Ashland and Sonoma State.

The Roadrunners outscored the Redhawks 12-4, including 10 points from the free-throw line in overtime to outlast Seattle University 84-76.

The Redhawks jumped out to an early 13-point lead in the first eight minutes of the game. Metro missed six of nine shots and committed five turnovers in those eight minutes.

That’s when freshman guard Corey Neal came off the bench to spark the Roadrunners. Neal had a layup, a steal and an assist to start a 24-11 run as Metro tied the game at 30-30. Defensively, Neal held Kirby to three points and forced bad passes and turnovers to get the Roadrunners back into the game.

“I think he is going to be a talented player,” Hays said. “Every day he gets a little better, every day he gets a little more comfortable, and we’re just easing him into it. He’s doing a very nice job.”

The second half ended at a 72-72 tie in which both teams shot 50 percent from the field and with two great individual performances by Metro forward Moussa Coulibaly and the Redhawks’ Kirby.
Coulibaly, who was scoreless in the first half, found his rhythm in the second by scoring 11 points and grabbing five rebounds, including three offensive boards leading to six points. Coulibaly also had two blocks and two steals in the game.

Kirby scored a game-high 24 points, including 18 from the 3-point line. However, he was a non-factor in overtime and did not even attempt a shot.

In overtime, fatigue and sloppy play ruined Seattle as they committed six fouls and had two turnovers, four missed shots and two missed free throws.

Metro took advantage of the Redhawks’ fouls by shooting 10 of 12 from the line, including eight from Veikalas. Veikalas again showed his strength from the bench by contributing 14 points, four rebounds and two steals.

Although Hays is happy his team came through in overtime to defeat a tough Seattle team and thinks they are off to a great start, he knows the season is long and his team can improve.

“It feels good,” Hays said about beating Seattle. “We typically play well at home. We are not going to overreact to this win. We’ve got some things we need to work on, and we’ll keep chipping away.”
Metro takes on Johnson & Wales-Colorado Dec. 1 at the Auraria Event Center.