DOWAGIAC, Mich. -- Devin Lee poured in 23 points on barrage of 3-pointers and
Kimari Barden tallied 21 points to help lift Macomb Men's Basketball to a 77-70 victory over NJCAA Division I Richard J. Daley College on Saturday (Oct. 31) at Southwestern Michigan College's Roadrunner Classic.
The win, the first at the collegiate level for first-year head coach,
Jeff Jayson, leveled the Monarchs early season record at 1-1.
In control early, the Monarchs led by double digits in the opening half before taking a narrow 35-33 lead into the break thanks in large part to Lee's stellar shooting. Second half action saw the lead balloon to double digits once again, but the Bulldogs closed the gap late before the Monarchs were able to close the game out with key possessions down the stretch.
Lee bounced back nicely after a tough-shooting opener with a 6-of-12 effort from 3-point territory and an 8-of-15 from the field overall for a 23-point afternoon. The 23-point outburst was accompanied by six rebounds, two steals, an assist and a block as part of a well-rounded performance.
Barden was impressive for the second time in as many days, shooting 7-of-8 from the floor and 7-of-10 from the charity stripe to post 21 points. The redshirt sophomore also corralled six rebounds and recorded three steals in the win.
Braeden Holder dished out a game-high nine assists and added seven points and five rebounds, while
Justin Gloster hauled in a team-best nine rebounds to go along with three points and three steals.
DJ Lee and
Dante Wimberly rounded out the scoring leaders with eight points each.
The Monarchs return to action Thursday (Nov. 5) with a road tilt at preseason No. 11 Lansing Community College. Tip-off from Lansing's Gannon Gymnasium is set for 7:30 p.m.
