By Samantha Meyers
The PJC men’s basketball team defeated Faulkner State Nov. 12, 77-52.
The Pirates are a new team with two transfers and seven freshmen. Though the team is working on handling mismatches, blocking out, and taking a step forward, they kept a strong lead against an old bitter rivalry against the Sun Chiefs.
“Play hard, play smart, play together, play with everything; then you’re really playing,” said Head Coach Paul Swanson.
The starters for PJC were Virgil Philistin, Jadarren Mumpfield, Jalin Thomas, De’Andre Washington, and Paris Carter, but 13 players saw playing time. Swanson is still looking for the top eight or 10 players in the rotation, he said.
Sophomore Mumpfield started the game strong with a 3-pointer and finished the game as the top scorer for PJC with 11 points.
PJC took an early lead 21-7, while Faulkner State struggled to keep control of the ball and missed several free throw attempts. PJC maintained a 17-point lead at halftime, 39-22, and widened the gap to a 20-point spread in the second half. Faulkner State staged a small come-back to narrow the gap to 12 points behind PJC, but the Pirates quickened their speed and won by 25 points.
With two minutes left in the game, the coach from Faulkner State received a technical foul for arguing with the referee. Angered at the calls against his team, he said, “I bet we’ll never come to play here again!”