January 19, 2004

Branting, Jura Lead Men's Cagers

Lopers Beat Morningside

            Kearney, NE – Senior Nick Branting had his third 30 point game of the season and freshman Dusty Jura had season highs in points (22) and rebounds (12) to lead the 8^th-ranked men's basketball team to a 99-77 win over Morningside College (Ia.) Monday night at the Health & Sports Center.

            UNK improves to 14-1 while the NAIA Mustangs fall to 9-10. All of Morningside's previous losses had come by 10 points or less.

            The Lopers out scored the Mustangs 22-8 over the final eight minutes of the first half to grab a 16-point halftime lead. Morningside didn’t go away, however, cutting the UNK lead to eight points three separate times early in the second half, the last being at the 15:34 mark (59-51).

            A three point play by Branting and two free throws by Jura, along with a trey from senior Jacob Mohs, got the lead to 14, 67-53, with 13:13 to play and the blue and gold never looked back.

            Statistically, the game was fairly even but the Lopers did tally 33 points off Mustang turnovers. 

            Branting scored 30 points on 11 of 15 shooting from the field. He also sunk all eight free shots he attempted. He had 36 in the season-opener vs. Peru State and then 32 vs. Colorado State-Pueblo.

            Jura, who went 14 of 15 from the field over the weekend, was 8 of 11 from the field to tally his 22 points. He also had six offensive and six defensive rebounds. The southpaw is among the RMAC leaders in field goal percentage at 62.7.

            Also for UNK, senior point guard Chad Sheffield had nine assists and nine points while backcourt mate Brian Dunagan added 11 points and four assists.

            Eddie Ceasar, who had 36 points last year against the Lopers, had 14 of his team-high 21 points in the second half.