Unleashed: Former EKU standout leads Miners past Patroons
Published on February 1, 2008 under Continental Basketball Association 1 (CBA 1)
East Kentucky Miners News Release
PIKEVILLE, KY. - Former Eastern Kentucky University point guard Jason McLeish scored a game-high 31 points, dished out six assists and pulled down five rebounds Thursday night as the host East Kentucky Miners defeated CBA American Conference rival Albany 113-108 at the Expo Center.
The Miners outscored Albany in both the first and fourth quarters of the conference matchup.
East Kentucky won without the services of leading scorer Josh Pace, who endured cortisone shots to his feet earlier in the day and was unable to play against the Patroons.
East Kentucky won the quarter points 5-2.
The Miners led 30-27 when the first quarter drew to a close. East Kentucky wasn't as sharp in the second period as Albany entered halftime out in front 55-53.
McLeish, registering the career-high 31 points in 48 minutes, ended the game as one of five players in double figures scoring for the Miners. Boo Jackson scored 26 points and pulled down eight rebounds for the East Kentucky professional basketball team. Lawrence Barnes, who earned a starting role in Pace's absence, contributed 14 points. Mike Dean and Marcus Heard added 13 points apiece for the Miners.
East Kentucky center Reo Logan flirted with a double-double. Logan scored nine points and hauled in a team-high 10 rebounds.
Albany left East Kentucky stunned Wednesday night after battling back and defeating the Miners 109-108.
"I'm extremely proud of the way our team played," East Kentucky Coach Kevin Keathley commented at the end of the conference game. "Despite putting a new defense in recently, we played well defensively. From top to bottom, our guys played well - especially coming off of such a heartbreaking loss one night earlier."
East Kentucky, trailing at the end of each of the two middle quarters, finished strong. The Miners outscored Albany 113-108 in the fourth quarter.
East Kentucky went 29-for-38 from the charity stripe.
Defensively, East Kentucky excelled on several trips down the floor. The Miners forced Albany into committing 21 turnovers The Miners improved to 17-16, rising one game back above the .500 mark.
Nat Burton led Albany with 29 points. Jason Williams netted 24 points and Dajan Smith scored 22 for the Patroons. Lucious Jordan and Chad Timberlake also reached double figures for Albany, finishing with 13 and 12 points, respectively.
The Patroons dropped to 16-12 after suffering the setback.
East Kentucky will return to action on Monday when the Great Falls Explorers visit the Expo Center for a non-conference matchup. Tip-off for Monday's game is slated for 7:05 p.m.
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