The Stormers men’s basketball team notched another victory at home with an 82-74 win over the Wilbur Wright College Rams on Sat., Jan 25. The win improves their streak of home wins to eight.
The victory certainly wasn’t a given, as both teams struggled to score early on in a tightly contested first half. While the Stormers were able to work the ball into the interior, the Rams communication on defense prevented much of a positive result. The half concluded with a Sports Center-worthy backdoor alley-oop dunk to Stormers guard Troy Spears to tie the game at 35. Spears finished the game with 11 points, three rebounds, four assists, and a blocked shot.
Things opened up for the Stormers in the second half. Head Coach Randy Casey knew why. “We finally started to execute what I asked them to do,” Casey stated.

“We talked at halftime about trying to slow their break down because they were getting the ball out and up the floor quickly and we talked about denying their point guard so they didn’t get the ball in his hands so quick.” The concentration on D made it easier for them on the offensive end, with the Stormers converting 62.5% of their field goal attempts in the second half after shooting 45.2% in the first.
Forward Terrell Hayes bounced back from an injury that kept him out of the last game to lead his squad with 19 points, 15 rebounds, and one block. “He’s been playing well as of late,” Casey said. “He sat out our last game due to a small injury but the game before that he had a great game too. Those are things that we’ve been expecting from him all year and he’s starting to give it to us. He can shoot the ball from the outside but he’s definitely strong down low. He gives us a big time advantage, especially if they try to put a guard on him to cover him.”
The home win reflects the “Tale of Two Teams” type of season the Stormers have had thus far, with their impressive home tally a stark contrast to their 1-9 road record. Casey seemed amused, perplexed and frustrated by the disparity of how well his team performs at home versus traveling. “It’s just got to be the comfort of being here every day on our home floor. I don’t know. We haven’t won on the road since our first game of the year. Obviously we have to figure that out. If we’re going to do the things we want to do, then we have to figure out how to win on the road.”

Gallery • 1 Photos

Photo by Kirsten Schmitt/Times