Degenkolb Hits 1,000-Point Mark in Loss to No. 5 Warriors
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Mason Degenkolb became TU’s second active player with 1,000-career points and the 41st in program history to reach the milestone with seven points in Saturday’s 69-58 defeat to No. 5 Indiana Tech in the Cornerstone Classic.
Degenkolb closed the contest with 1,004 points for his career, needing only 64 games to reach the mark. The junior guard followed senior Evan Crowe onto the list, doing so five games after his teammate.
Degenkolb and Crowe could soon be joined by senior Jake Heggeland and junior Ryan Robinson, as Heggeland wrapped play on Saturday 29 points shy of the mark and Robinson climbed to within 190.
The Trojans started fast on Saturday, jumping to an 11-3 lead but saw Indiana Tech (1-3) surge back to draw even at 15-15. Neither side led by more than three points for the duration of the opening stanza, until Tech netted the final four points of the half for a 33-29 lead at the break.
Momentum stayed with the Orange and Black in the opening 10 minutes out of the break, as the Warriors opened the second period with a 19-9 stretch to widen their advantage to 52-38.
Robinson sparked a brief Taylor comeback with five points in a 10-2 burst that narrowed the gap to 54-48 but Indiana Tech settled in and held off TU in the 69-58 contest.
The Trojans struggled to find their shooting touch for the second time in three games to open the season, shooting below 37 percent from the floor and under 30 percent from deep in both halves of play.
Robinson paced the attack once again with 13 points, with Crowe following at 10 points and six rebounds. Jason Hubbard turned in another solid all-around effort with eight points, six boards, one block and one steal, while Vincent Miranda followed his outburst on Friday with eight points and two assists.
Taylor (0-3) will play an exhibition affair at NCAA Division I Miami Ohio on Monday at 7:00 pm, before heading to Indiana Kokomo (3-0) on Wednesday for a 7:30 pm start.
