sierra
Al Case, Ashland Daily Photo
Clay Sierra scored 11 points Sunday for SOU. (Photo by Al Case)
54
Simpson SU 1-3
85
Winner Southern Oregon SOU 2-0
Simpson SU
1-3
54
Final
85
Southern Oregon SOU
2-0
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Simpson SU 28 26 54
Southern Oregon SOU 36 49 85

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | SOU Sports Information

DeSaulnier, Spear lead the way as SOU starts 2-0

ASHLAND – Joel Spear distributed a career-high 12 assists with eight points and four steals, and was the catalyst in the Southern Oregon men's basketball team's complete performance on both ends in an 85-54 win over Simpson on Sunday at Riehm Arena.

The Raiders (2-0) shot 55 percent (35-of-64) on the final day of the Flagship Inn Classic a day after shooting 59. Ben DeSaulnier scored 21 points on 7-for-11 shooting, Jordan West went 9-for-16 with 19 points and seven rebounds, and Clay Sierra went 5-for-7 with 11 points, three blocks and three steals.

Simpson (1-3) shot just 30 percent as a team, and the Raiders held leading scorer Jacob Kaler – who entered the contest averaging 26.7 points – to a 1-for-13 effort from the field.

Leading 16-13 midway through the first half, SOU widened the gap with a 13-2 run during which DeSaulnier scored nine straight points. And after taking a 36-28 lead into halftime, the Raider sunk their first eight shots of the second half.

Gary Melvin scored eight of his 10 points after halftime. He added four rebounds and three assists.

The Raiders had advantages of 52-26 in points in the paint and 26-12 in points off turnovers.

The game was the last the Raiders will ever play at Riehm Arena in its current state. They're tentatively schedule to play home games at Mountain Avenue Gym on the campus of Ashland High starting in December while McNeal Hall undergoes a complete reconstruction.

SOU will be in action Thursday and Friday in Phoenix, Ariz., to play fourth-ranked Arizona Christian and Embry-Riddle (Ariz.). The Raiders will then fly back to play an exhibition game at 6 p.m. next Sunday at University of Oregon.
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