Costly Turnovers Push Peregrines Past Mustangs, 81-62

HAMMOND, Ind. — The Mustangs (0-2, 0-0 WHAC) are continuing to adjust to life without last year’s leading scorer, Darryll Dixon (Flint, Mich./Hamady). With their top offensive threat sidelined, the Mustangs have turned to their youth and a scoring-by-committee system in which the team is still getting accustomed to.

Part of the effort to find offensive balance has led to lopsided assist-to-turnover ratios that has turned in to too many easy baskets for the opposition. The Mustangs were forced into 15 turnovers while converting seven assists against the Peregrines. In their opener, the Mustangs committed 20 turnovers to oppose their eight assists.

The combination has the Mustangs 0-2 to start the season with an upcoming exhibition at NCAA DII Saginaw Valley State University looming on Sunday (Nov. 11) at 5 p.m.

Despite another unkind outing, the Mustangs showed many signs of improvement from game one to game two of the season. Only down nine at the half, the Mustangs were able to keep the game in striking distance until late when the Peregrines used the bonus, and plenty of timely shots, to their advantage down the stretch to win, 81-62.

Darryl Foster (Southfield, Mich./Missouri Valley College) led the Mustangs in scoring with 16 points. Freshman point guard Diante Taylor (Battle Creek, Mich./Central) followed with 15 points. Fellow freshman Manny Washington (Dearborn, Mich./Edsel Ford) corralled 10 rebounds and chipped in five points.