WARREN, Mich. – Up by 20 at the half and leading by as many as 28 points, No. 18 Macomb Men's Basketball cruised to an 89-70 conference-opening win over the St. Clair County Community College Skippers Wednesday (Jan. 5). With the win, the Monarchs improve to 11-1 overall and 1-0 in MCCAA Eastern Conference action. The Skippers saw their nine-game winning streak come to an end and finished the night with an 11-4 record overall and 1-1 mark in league play.
The Monarchs had five players reach double figures scoring once again, but the night belonged to sophomore guard Elijah Belle (Detroit, Mich./Davenport) who netted a career-high 33 points on 10-of-14 shooting overall (6-of-10 3PM) to go along with six assists, three rebounds and three steals in 34 minutes played.
The Monarchs held a 23-17 lead with just over seven minutes remaining in the first half before closing the opening stanza on a 19-5 run to take a commanding 42-22 lead at the break. Belle nearly outscored the opposition on his own in the first half with 19 points.
In the latter half, the Monarchs pushed their lead out to 28 (61-33) with 11:52 remaining the game, but the Skippers battled back from there as the game settled on its 89-70 final tally.
As a team, the Monarchs dished out 20 assists on 31 made baskets and knocked down 14 3-pointers in the league-opening victory. Jaylen Daughtery (Detroit, Mich./Mott) led four others in double figures on his way to recording another double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Tariq Humes (Farmington, Mich./Elevation Prep) showcased strong all-around play with 13 points, six rebounds and five assists, while Jiovanni Miles (Novi, Mich./Wisconsin-Green Bay) put forth another balanced outing with 10 points, six boards and five assists.
Delano Williams (Mt. Clemens, Mich./Mt. Clemens) returned from injury to notch his first minutes of the 2021-22 campaign and wasted no time impressing on both ends of the court with 12 points and four rebounds in 15 minutes of action.
John Ukomadu (Southfield, Mich./Vincennes) fought off early foul trouble to post five points, six rebounds, three assists and three blocks in limited action.
