CINCINNATI, Ohio – Double-doubles from
Jordan Little and
Shaq Athie helped the Kentucky State University men's basketball team open the 2019-20 season with a 79-73 victory over Wilberforce Monday in the 2019 Queen City Classic at Withrow High School.
Little (Jersey City, N.J.) was the best player on the court with career highs in points and rebounds. He finished with 24 points on 10-of-13 shooting and he pulled down 17 boards. In his homecoming,
Athie (Cincinnati, Ohio) finished with 11 points and 12 rebounds, both career bests.
Two other Thorobreds reached double figure scoring as senior
Grant Goode (Matawan, N.J.) added 14 points and senior
Damarri Moore (Brooklyn, N.Y.) contributed 10 points.
Early defensive pressure enabled the Bulldogs to open up a 20-11 lead. However, a three-pointer by senior
Orlando Fikes (Detroit, Mich.) kicked off a 20-2 run that turned a nine-point deficit into a nine-point lead. The Thorobreds limited Wilberforce to 1-of-13 shooting with four turnovers during the game-changing stretch.
Back-to-back dunks by Moore in the middle of the run gave Kentucky State the lead.
The 'Breds opened the second half by pushing the lead to 20 points with 10 minutes remaining in the game. However, the Bulldogs had one last run in them.
Wilberforce chipped away at the KSU lead, and with 2:45 left, Kentucky State led by just five. Little stemmed the tide with back-to-back buckets and the 'Breds went 6-of-8 from the foul line to seal the victory.
Kentucky State (1-0) travels to Charlotte, N.C. Friday and Saturday for the Johnson C. Smith Tip Off Classic. The Thorobreds play host Johnson C. Smith 7 p.m. Friday.
