WARREN, Mich. – Macomb Men's Basketball opened the 2021-22 season in style by cruising to an 84-51 victory over Region XII counterpart Terra State on Tuesday (Nov. 2) in Warren. The 33-point victory was made possible by patient team offense and a stingy defense that forced the visiting Titans into 24 turnovers on the evening.
The 24 Titan miscues led to a commanding 30-14 edge in points off turnovers and a 19-2 advantage in fast break points for the Monarchs.
With the season-opening victory, first-year head coach Hassan Nizam debuted with a win after his Monarchs put together a well-rounded 40 minutes of basketball.
After a back-and-forth start, the Monarchs ended the first half on a 20-9 run – a run that was capped off by a Jiovanni Miles (Novi, Mich./Wisconsin-Green Bay) half-court three as time expired in the opening stanza. Miles' heave gave the Monarchs a 13-point, 36-23, lead heading into the halftime break.
In the second half, the Monarchs ratcheted up the defense on their way to outscoring the Titans, 48-28, over the game's final 20 minutes to earn the 84-51 victory.
Miles paced four Monarchs in double figures with 13 points (4-of-7 3PM), while Tariq Humes (Farmington, Mich./Elevation Prep) took over in the second half, netting 12 points to go along with five steals, three assists, and three rebounds. John Ukomadu (Southfield, Mich./Vincennes) battled first half foul trouble to match Humes with 12 points and added six rebounds, four steals, and a block in 15 minutes of work.
Elijah Belle (Detroit, Mich./Davenport) rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 points, while Jaylen Daughtery (Detroit, Mich./Mott) followed closely with nine points and seven rebounds in 21 minutes played.
In all, every active Monarch entered the game and scored in the thrilling win to kick off the 2021-22 campaign.
beginning approximately 25 minutes following the completion of the women's game.www.MacombMonarchs.com/Watch Division II Preseason Poll. Friday's game will feature a live stream on NJCAAThe Monarchs remain home for a showdown with Bryant & Stratton (OH) Friday (Nov. 5) at 7:30 p.m. The Bobcats, a Region XII finalist from a season ago, enter Friday's contest receiving votes in the
