MenÂs Basketball Sends Seniors Out Victorious

DETROIT, Mich. — First year head coach Craig Covington and the Marygrove men’s basketball team (4-26; 3-19 WHAC) sent the 2014 seniors out on a high note with a 73-70 victory over the Wolverines of Michigan-Dearborn (8-22; 5-17 WHAC) Saturday (Feb. 22) inside Detroit’s Northwest Activities Center. With the win, the Mustangs eclipsed last year’s win total after finishing the 2012-13 campaign 3-27 overall. At 3-19 in conference play, the Mustangs finished tied with their 2012-13 mark â also their first season in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference.

With plenty of talented players returning, the future is certainly bright for Covington’s crew as they now begin preparations for the 2014-15 season.

Paying homage to their seniors, the team started all four of the Mustangs on their final day of collegiate competition. Eric Fowlkes (Detroit, Mich./Central), Kenny Enoex (Warren, Mich./Fitzgerald), Kevaunte Moore (Romulus, Mich./Summit Academy) and DeVonte Pryor (Pontiac, Mich./West Texas A&M), all received the nod and jump-started the Green & Gold offense against the Wolverines.

Fowlkes, a team leader, came out with plenty of emotion and was able to get the Mustangs on the board with a fade-away jumper. The senior later connected on a pair of free throws to put his team ahead, 4-0, in the early stages of the contest. Fowlkes’ early baskets propelled a 20-9 run by the Mustangs over the game’s opening eight minutes of action.

Holding an 11-point lead, the Mustangs continued their torrid offensive pace in the first half behind a rowdy home crowd. Behind stellar play from a balanced cast, Darryll Dixon (Flint, Mich./Hamady), Elijah Ingram (Detroit, Mich./Consortium), Pryor and Xavier Walker (Flint, Mich./Powers Catholic), the Mustangs opened up a commanding 20-point lead at 44-24 with 2:06 remaining in the first half.

The Wolverines chipped away late in the half to trail the Mustangs at the break, 44-27.

In the second half, the Wolverines would force the Mustangs into a bevy of turnovers as they continued to close the gap between the teams. With the Mustangs struggling to connect on key free throws late in the latter half, the Wolverines clawed their way back to within one, 67-66, with 1:54 remaining in each team’s season.

The one-point deficit was as close as the Wolverines could get on Saturday as Dixon drained a pair of shots from the charity stripe before Diante Taylor (Battle Creek, Mich./Central) came up big down the stretch with a steal and a fast break layup to lift the Mustangs lead to five, 71-66, with 1:42 to play.

From there, Dixon and Taylor combined for two converted free throws as the Mustangs closed out the 2013-14 campaign victorious with a 73-70 win over their neighboring foe.

The Mustangs were led by Dixon with a game-high 20 points. The well-rounded guard also grabbed nine rebounds to go along with five steals and three assists. Dixon was followed by Taylor with 15 points. With the 15-point effort, Taylor became the first Mustang since Dennis Foster to reach double digits scoring in every game of a single season.

Walker was close to his second double-double in a row with nine points and eight rebounds, while Pryor followed with eight points, four rebounds and three steals. Enoex, a force around the rim all season for the Mustangs, blocked five shots in his final collegiate game.