March 29, 2024

Spartans open two-game conference lead

Johnson scores 25 in home win over DMACC

Southwestern is firmly in the driver’s seat now in its quest for a regular-season conference championship in men’s basketball after holding off DMACC here Saturday, 76-74.

While the Spartans were improving to 12-0 at home and pushing their winning streak to nine games, Iowa Lakes knocked off Kirkwood, 95-85. That result leaves both teams at 5-2 in league play, while fifth-ranked Southwestern (22-3 overall) is two games ahead at 7-0 with five to play.

"Every game is so important for us now," Spartan coach Todd Lorensen said.

Freshman shines

Freshman guard Jordan Johnson made three 3-pointers and scored 13 points in the first half Saturday to help Southwestern rally from an early deficit to take a 31-29 halftime lead.

Johnson finished with a game-high 25 points, while Robert Morris transfer Jafar Kinsey led the Bears with 19 points.

“Jordan kept us in it in the first half,” Lorensen said. “We got killed in the first half on the offensive glass. Then we got in foul trouble with our bigs and we had some weird lineups out there, but the guys did a good job.”

Some big defensive stops against DMACC in the final 10 minutes helped the Spartans hold the lead at three to five points down the stretch. DMACC sank a long 3-pointer to cut a five-point margin to two in the final score.

Technical fouls got players in foul trouble on both sides. For Southwestern, center Sergio Antelmi went to the bench with four violations after being charged with a foul and a technical with seven minutes to play. The same thing happened to sophomore Terrance Smith, who returned with just under four minutes left.

With 11:52 left in the half Lorensen had already been assessed a technical, with the ensuing free throws giving DMACC a 47-43 lead.

“I think between them, the guys kind of decided, ‘coach isn’t doing us any favors right now, so we have to overcome his stupidity.’ They did a really nice job of making plays from that point,” Lorensen said.

“Ultimately, when we switched to the zone defense, that was a game changer,” Lorensen added. “They really got stagnant offensively and we kept them out of the paint. Kinsey is more than capable of shooting threes, but he makes his money by going to the rim.”

Johnson, whose role has expanded during the conference season, said his teammates recognized that he was having a good night.

“They got me the ball,” Johnson said. “Whoever is hot, just trust that they’ll make a play, that’s what it is. It was a matter of getting used to the college game, like the pace of it. It’s just a learning experience. I’ve been in the gym, trying to get better every day.”

Next challenge

To keep things rolling, the Spartans will have to deal with a zone defense on Wednesday at NIACC (13-10, 1-6).

“They will play us zone for 40 minutes,” Lorensen said. “We have to make some shots, but we also can’t just settle for jumpers. We need to dominate the offensive glass and defend them.”

DMACC (74) — Jafar Kinsey 5 7-10 19, Kam Rowan 5 3-4 16, Johnny Benson Jr. 3 8-10 14, Cam Epps 4 2-2 12, Tate Larsen 2 2-5 6, Baylee Steel 3 0-0 6, Nibra White Jr. 0 1-2 1. Totals — 22 23-33 74. FG shooting — 22-64 (34.4 percent). 3-point goals — 7-28 (Rowan 3, Kinsey 2, Epps 2). Rebounds — 47 (Benson Jr. 13, Larsen 11, Kinsey 7). Assists — 10 (Larsen 4, Benson Jr. 3, White Jr. 2). Steals — 5 (Kinsey 2). Blocked shots — 1 (Benson Jr. 1). Turnovers — 10. Team fouls — 24. Fouled out — Benson Jr.

SOUTHWESTERN (76) — Jordan Johnson 8 5-6 26, KeShawn Wilson 4 2-2 13, Calvin Chambers 4 1-4 10, Terrance Smith 2 4-8 9, TJ Bower 2 3-4 8, Simon Joseph 1 4-4 6, Ahmad Newsome 2 1-1 5, Totals — 23 20-29 76. FG shooting — 23-49 (46.9 percent). 3-point goals — 10-25 (Johnson 4, Wilson 3, Bower 1, Smith 1, Chambers 1). Rebounds — 31 (Wilson 5, Bower 4, Jok Kut 4, Chambers 4). Assists — 12 (Wilson 4, Newsome 3, Bower 2, Chambers 2). Steals — 4 (Johnson 3). Blocked shots — 5 (Kut 1, Newsome 1, Wilson 1, Bower 1, Joseph 1). Turnovers — 12. Team fouls — 22. Fouled out — None.

DMACC — 29 74

SWCC — 31 76