SPRINGFIELD, Mo.— The Drury Panthers used a second-half long-range shooting barrage to surge past Rogers State 89-64 in the finale of the DoubleTree Thanksgiving Classic at the O’Reilly Family Event Center on Saturday afternoon.
The Panthers drained ten three-point shots in the second half, six by junior Cal Hartley, and easily ran away from the Hillcats to improve to 5-0 on the season. Drury finished 15 of 28 from three-point distance for 54 percent.
“When you shoot good, you look good,” said Drury head coach Steve Hesser. “I was real proud of Cal. I think that’s what we’re capable of and just haven’t done it to this extent.”
The Panthers, behind a team-high 20 points from Hartley, placed six players in double figures. Sophomore Asa Hutchinson finished with 14, juniors Malek Davis and Conley Garrison had 12 each, while senior Isaac Johnson and junior Brandon Emmert closed with 11 apiece. Brewster Peacock and Darraja Parnell had 10 points each to pace Rogers State (6-1).
“That’s what our program is about, sharing the ball and doing things collectively, and that usually helps you be more efficient,” added Hesser.
The Panthers jumped to an early lead in the game, outscoring the Hillcats 19-3 in the first eight minutes of play, then extending the lead to 20 points at 35-15 before taking a 38-24 lead into the halftime break.
The Panthers finished the contest with 21 assists on 35 made shots and were guilty of just nine turnovers.
Hartley, Garrison, and Hutchinson earned spots on the all-tournament team. Christopher Miller of Rogers State and Devante Brooks of Southern Arkansas rounded out the all-tournament team selections.
The Panthers are back in action on Tuesday, December 3rd, when they host Southwest Baptist University in a Great Lakes Valley Conference opener at 7:45 pm at the O’Reilly Family Event Center.
