Pitt State, Southern Complete Sweep in Pitt State Invitational - KOAM TV 7

Pitt State, Southern Complete Sweep in Pitt State Invitational

PITTSBURG — Courtney Ingram scored a team-leading 20 points to lead Pitt State to an 88-78 victory over Avila (Mo.) in the final game of the Pitt State Invitational Saturday (Nov. 19) at John Lance Arena.

Missouri Southern held off a charge from MidAmerica Nazarene for a 93-84 victory in the early game.

The Gorillas (3-1) broke open a tight game in the second half with an 11-4 run to turn a one-point game into an eight-point lead, 70-62, with 6:46 to play in the game. Pitt State extended its margin to 14, at 81-67, before settling for the 10-point win.

Ingram made seven of 10 shots from the floor, including four 3-pointers, and the Gorillas outscored the Eagles 29-15 at the free throw line.

Eric Ray also chipped in with 17 points for Pitt State, with a 10-for-12 shooting night at the foul line. Marky Nolen also scored in double figures with 10 points.

Andra Bailey added seven points, eight rebounds, four assists and three blocked shots for the Gorillas, while JaVon McGee finished with nine points and five rebounds.

Avila's Zach Smith led all scorers with 25 points, while Ben Dierkes added 16 for the Eagles.

In the early game, Jason Adams and Keane Thomann combined for 53 points to lead No. 4 Southern (5-0) to the victory over the Pioneers (4-3).

Adams scored 18 of his game-high 27 points in the second half as the Lions broke open a 31-30 game at the break. Thomann finished with a double-double with 26 points and 10 rebounds.

Marquis Addison and Jordan Talbert added 16 and 15 points, respectively, and Southern shot 65.5 percent (19 of 29) in the second half to overcome a tepid 32 percent effort (13 of 40) in the initial stanza.

Lukas Weigel had 21 points and 10 rebounds to lead MNU, while Rustin Dowd had 20 points and Conner Langrehr added 18.

Pitt State will return to action Tuesday (Nov. 22) when the Gorillas host South Central Region rival Central Oklahoma at John Lance Arena. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.