College Article Feature: SLC Stars vs. Westchester Knicks

Written by Aubree Curtis | Brigham Young University

After playing poorly in January, on Feb. 6 The Stars brought the heat, beating the Westchester Knicks 131-107. Their season record is now 8-13. Despite their less than ideal record, they lead the Western Conference in points per game. 

In the opening minutes of the game, The stars were regularly behind, briefly taking a one point lead. The Stars took a time-out, then upped their game play to close the score gap. They took the lead and ended the first quarter up 34-30. 

During the next quarter, the score was back and forth. However, with just three minutes left in the half, Mo Bamba made a 14-foot jumper and immediately followed with a 25-foot three pointer. With 1:10 left in the half, Sean East II then got a great steal and helped the team on a mini run, ending the half with a lead of 60-58.

This game turned out to be the tale of two halves. After the back and forth first half, The Stars blew the game wide open. They quickly pushed their lead to 10 points, and eventually reached a game high lead of 32 points. The stars cleared the bench, and all but one player scored double figures. 

In this game the stars looked better defensively. Steven Crowl gathered 7 defensive boards, 11 total. Sean East II, Max Klesmit, and Justin Jarmon each got 2 steals. The turnover margin ended in the Stars’ favor, only giving up 11 compared to the Knicks’ 16. Coach Higgins said that the team has “recommitted our focus on defense…our overall team attention to detail has gone up significantly.”

Matthew Cleveland was active offensively 2 points for the team and getting 11 rebounds. His points came from six field goals and five free throws. He also had one assist. Cleveland shared that the improvement seen in this game has been the result of hard work from the team. “We’re taking everything that the coaches are saying and focusing more,” Cleveland said. 

After a great game and impressive blowout win, The Stars will play the Knicks again on Saturday Feb. 7 at 6 P.M.