EK Miners Defeat WV Blazers in Home Debut
December 14, 2008 - Continental Basketball Association 1 (CBA 1)
East Kentucky Miners News Release
PIKEVILLE, KY. - Six players reached double figures in the scoring column Sunday evening as the host East Kentucky Miners defeated the West Virginia Blazers 140-94 in a CBA-ABA Interleague Challenge game. East Kentucky, which defeated the ABA's Kentucky Bisons in a season-opener on the road Thursday, Dec. 11, improved to 2-0 following the win over the Blazers.
Mike Dean nailed 10-of-15 shots from the floor and 11-of-12 free throws to lead East Kentucky with a game-high 31 points. Jermaine Blackburn netted 22 points is his home debut for the Miners. Delvin Thomas, playing out of a reserve role, turned in a double-double effort of 17 points and 14 rebounds for the East Kentucky professional basketball team "Overall, it was a great run," said East Kentucky Coach Kevin Keathley. "This is a great group of players and an excellent passing team. We need to make sure that they stay consistent. Tonight's game was a good indicator that we know how to keep leads."
East Kentucky sprinted out to a 15-0 lead and never looked back. After outscoring West Virginia 33-21 in the opening quarter, East Kentucky carried a commanding 56-39 lead into the intermission.
All 12 East Kentucky players made it into the scoring column. Former University of Kentucky Wildcat Wayne Turner scored 16 points from his starting point guard position. Jason McLeish scored 15 points and Galen Young added 11 for the host Miners. Mike Crain and Justin Taylor added eight points apiece for East Kentucky in its first home game of the 2008-09 season. Crain paced the Miners from beyond the arc, connecting on each of his two three-point field goal attempts.
East Kentucky led 93-65 at the conclusion of the third quarter.
As a team, East Kentucky shot 64.2-percent from the field and 82.9-percent from the free throw line.
Desi Crisp led West Virginia (0-2) with a near double-double of 26 points and nine rebounds. Corey Love added 25 points and five rebounds for the Blazers.
West Virginia shot 39.3-percent from the field in the interleague matchup.
The Miners will host the Blazers Monday night in a second straight game on the East Kentucky Expo Center hardwood. Tip-off for Monday's East Kentucky-West Virginia game is set for 7:05 p.m.
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