Cold Shooting, Hot Chipola Thrwarts Harcum
Hutchinson, KS – The No. 5 Seed Chipola College Indians, appearing at Hutch for the second consecutive season under second year Head Coach Donnie Tyndall, were a quarter-finalist last year. In 2022 they’ve made it back.
Matched up against #13 Seed Harcum College from Bryn Mawr, PA, who have emerged on the national scene in the last nine years, making their 3rd appearance in the National Tournament over that time span.
Harcum was a final four contestant in 2014, and hoping to match that high mark this year under veteran Head Coach Drew Kelly, now in his 17th year.
Chipola, who caught fire down the last part of the season to capture the always tough Region 8 Title, is one of three South Atlantic District teams to have made this years field.
Courtesy of their 70-49 subduing of Harcum in this game, two of those teams, are still alive. Themselves and Northwest Florida State.
NWF won their quarterfinal game over Dodge City CC, earning a spot in the semifinals. The Indians are hoping to join them.
In a slow developing first half, clogged by poor shooting, Chipola found a way to go to the break up 25-17. Things opened up in the second half, but only for Chipola.
Outscoring the Bears 45-32, Chipola pulls away to win 70-49. As a result, they do indeed join fellow Region 8 rival Northwest Florida in the 2022 Final Four.
Top gun for the Indians was Faizon Fields who knocked in 17 points, doubling down with 12 rebounds. Achor Achor matched Fields with a dub/dub of his own, putting in for 13 points and 14 rebounds. Nae’qwan Tomlin complimented with 11 points. John Wilson led the team with 4 apples.
With the loss, Harcum slips to 32-3. The only Bear in double digits was Jordan Martin who dropped 12. Mohammed Wague was the team’s leading rebounder with 6.
Harcum struggled to make Chipola pull the ball from the net, as they shot 32% from the field in the first half, and it got worse in the second (26%). Doing the math, 16-66 for the game translates to 24.2%.
Chipola was ineffective from distance, making only 1-12 from behind the arc. But it didn’t matter. Harcum fired up 39 long range missiles, connecting on only 8 for 20%.
Chipola annihilated the Bears on the boards, 60-29, and had the lead from the 14:00 mark of the first half to the finish. While the Bears were busy from long range, Chipola chipped away on the inside, dominating in the paint points 40-14.
