Box Score PITTSBURGH -- Point Park University men's basketball is 10-0 on the season after Saturday's 98-69 victory over visiting Alice Lloyd (Ky.) College. The River States Conference win at CCAC-Allegheny moved the Pioneers to 3-0 RSC.
Jo Valrie and Jalen Stamps scored 20 points apiece to lead Point Park, and Jamisen Smith added 18. What's more, those three combined for 17 assists as the Pioneers shared the ball with a season-high 23 assists on 37 made baskets.
Nathaniel Van scored 16 points to make it four starters in double figures, and 6-10 center Nazareth Fisher came off the bench for 13 points on a perfect 6 for 6 from the field. Fisher had several dunks to punctuate Point Park's march toward its biggest lead of 33 points with 2:25 left.
At 10-0, the Pioneers are one of just seven remaining unbeaten teams in NAIA men's basketball. It is the longest winning streak and the best start to a season since Point Park was 21-0 in 2006-07.
Point Park was trailing, 8-7, after the first few minutes before turning things around. A quick run of 12-2 had the Pioneers ahead, 19-10. Point Park gained a double-digit lead of 26-16 later in the half only to have Alice Lloyd (5-4, 0-3 RSC) hang around 26-22 on two straight treys from Jared Strickland.
The Pioneers responded with an and-1 from Valrie and a transition jumper from Smith to regain the 10-point lead, 33-23. Point Park pushed the lead to 52-35 by the half with Valrie, Smith, Stamps and Van all in double figures through 20 minutes.
Point Park had five 3-pointers in the first half and added eight more in the second half. Van got the second-half shooting started with a trey for a 66-45 lead at the under-15 media timeout. Stamps connected from deep for a 71-47 lead with 13:21 to go.
Stamps and Valrie both made four treys on the day with a pair in each half. Smith and Van had two treys apiece.
As the second half wore on, the Pioneers got the passing going, which led to several dunks and layups. Jordan Stowe found Fisher for a dunk at the 8:53 mark and an 81-53 lead. Stowe scored off a nice assist from Valrie to make the score 90-63. That's when Point Park played its backups for the final 6:28.
Along with his 20 points, Valrie notched nine rebounds and six asists. Stamps dished out seven assists along with his 20 piece on 7 for 14 from the field and 4 for 7 from the arc. Smith posted 18 points, four rebounds and four assists. Van stayed hot making 6 of 9 from the floor.
The Pioneers extended their home winning streak to 16 games dating back to last year. Point Park visits NCAA DII power IUP on Sunday, Dec. 10 for an exhibition game at 4:00 p.m. The Pioneers return to the home floor on Thursday, Dec. 14 for an NAIA matchup with Wilberforce (Ohio) at 7:00 p.m.