SLIAC Game of the Week: Spalding at Blackburn

SLIAC Game of the Week: Spalding at Blackburn

 

At a Glance

Our final SLIAC Game of the Week for the 2018-19 men's basketball season is a meeting between Blackburn College and Spalding University. Despite 10 conference wins, Spalding is still looking to secure a spot in this year's conference tournament while Blackburn is 8-8 and is trying to make a late run for the playoffs. The two teams will meet in Carlinville, Illinois on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

       
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Blackburn College 'BEAVERS'

Blackburn sits at 11-12 overall and 8-8 in the SLIAC. They are currently one game back in the race for the final playoff spot. The Beavers have dropped two straight games and close out their season against Spalding and Principia in a pair of home games.

Blackburn is among the top scoring teams in the SLIAC, averaging 83.3 points per game. Their offense thrives on their guard play which is dangerous from three-point range. The Beavers are shooting a conference-best 39.8-percent from deep with Karson Hayes pacing the team at 19.9 points per game. Duncan King is averaging 12.3 points and Raushaun Amos is averaging 12.1 points.

        

Spalding University 'GOLDEN EAGLES'

Spalding sits in third place in the SLIAC standings with a 10-6 record and is 11-12 overall this season. The Golden Eagles need just one win in their final two games, either against Blackburn or Fontbonne, to secure a playoff spot.

Spalding ranks 2nd in the league in scoring defense (74.7 ppg) and play a slower pace than most, getting off just 60 shots per game to go with their 70.7 points per game on offense. Marcus Montgomery leads the team at 16.5 points per game and is the team's top outside threat. Dominique Ellis is averaging 12.1 points and 4.6 rebounds per game while Robert Bendingfield is dangerous with the ball in his hands, averaging 10.7 points and 4.0 assists per game.

 

Last Meeting
Spalding defeated Blackburn 73-71 on January 12th in the series first meeting this season. Both teams shot well, each over 46-percent, and the largest lead of the game was seven points. Spalding's Brendan Holt had the game-winning bucket with just six seconds left while Dominique Ellis clinched the game on a steal with two-seconds on the clock. Ellis had a game-high 19 points for Spalding while Blackburn was led by 15 points from Duncan King.

Game Notes

  • Spalding leads the all-time series against Blackburn 17-2 and has won four straight.
  • Blackburn is trying to make consecutive tournament trips for the first time since the 2005 and 2006 tournaments.
  • Spalding is looking to secure their first postseason trip since the 2015-16 season.