AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – Macomb Men's Basketball took their No. 16 national ranking on the road Saturday (Jan. 15) for the first time in conference play and came out 92-89 victors over Oakland Community College thanks in large part to a 33-point performance by sophomore guard Elijah Belle (Detroit, Mich./Davenport). The sharpshooting Belle tied a collegiate career-best with 33 points and drained a new career-high seven 3-pointers in Saturday's road win.
The road victory elevates the Monarchs' record to 13-1 overall and a perfect 3-0 in MCCAA East action. With the setback, the host OCC Raiders fell to 5-3 overall and 2-1 in league play.
Behind a pair of early Belle triples, the Monarchs jumped out to an 18-8 lead before the Raiders got to within two possessions late in the first half at 36-32. The Monarchs closed the opening half as strong as they opened it, outscoring the Raiders 12-2 the rest of the way to take a 48-34 lead into the halftime break.
Belle scorched the nets to the tune of 22 first-half points on six 3-pointers.
The Raiders scored the first nine points of the second half and made it a one-possession game on a few occasions in the latter stanza, but the Monarchs responded every time as part of a balanced second half scoring output. Leading by eight with 10 seconds remaining, the Monarchs were cruising to their 13th win in 14 attempts this season when the Raiders knocked down a pair of desperation threes to get to within two (91-89) with two seconds left on the clock.
Belle stepped to the line and made one of two, giving the Monarchs a 92-89 lead and the Raiders couldn't get off a shot in the final second as the Blue & White secured the hard-fought road win.
While Belle's career-tying effort led the way, the Monarchs showcased balance once again with four players in double figures. Sophomore forward John Ukomadu (Bloomfield, Mich./Vincennes) connected on several clutch baskets to net 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting (1-of-2 3PM), while Tariq Humes (Farmington, Mich./Elevation Prep) followed up his record-breaking 55-point performance with 17 points, five assists and three rebounds. Jiovanni Miles (Novi, Mich./Wisconsin-Green Bay) rounded out the double-digit scorers with 11 points and added three assists, three rebounds and two steals Saturday afternoon.
Defensively, the Monarchs tied a season-high with 12 blocks. Ukomadu led the block party with five swats, while Jaylen Daughtery (Detroit, Mich./Mott) racked up a season-best four blocks and added eight rebounds in the road victory.
Delano Williams (Mt. Clemens, Mich./Mt. Clemens) continued working his way into the lineup off an injury and went on to post seven points, four rebounds and three assists.
East preseason favorites – enter Wednesday's contest 14-1 overall and 3-1 in the conference. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. Wednesday on Mott's campus.MCCAA Division II No. 4 Mott Community College Wednesday (Jan. 19) in Flint. The fourth-ranked Bears – ranked No. 1 in the country for most of the season and NJCAASaturday's road win sets up a showdown with current
