By Nathan Deen
Published on November 21, 2007
The PJC men’s basketball team was allowed to play Delgado Community College in Downtown New Orleans on Friday at the New Orleans Arena, home of the New Orleans Hornets. The game preceded an NBA game between the Hornets and the Memphis Grizzlies. PJC won handily by a score of 88-44.
Delgado was one of many schools affected by Hurricane Katrina and this is the team’s first season since the catastrophe.
The game started in PJC’s favor early as the Pirates jumped out to an 18-2 lead. Miles Taylor sparked the rout as he scored 9 of his 11 points in the first ten minutes. By halftime, PJC had a 52-23 lead and never looked back in the second half.
Head coach Paul Swanson said that he was very pleased with his team’s defensive effort and said that it might have been the best defensive game the Pirates have played all year. He was also impressed with his team’s ability to focus while playing in a different environment.
Four Pirates scored in double figures along with Taylor. Guard Jadarren Mumpfield had his best game of the season with a team high 14 points while guard Virgil Philistin had 12 points. Forward Eugene Blue had 13 points and 7 rebounds while forward Petras Balocka had 11 points and 14 rebounds. Guard Fred Jones had 8 points, 5 assists, and 4 steals and guard Lasha Parghalava had 7 points and a 6 assists.
PJC dominated the post by grabbing 55 total rebounds and converting 17 second-chance points. The Pirates shot 53.6 percent from the field (25 percent from the three-point line) and 78.6 percent from the free throw line.
PJC’s record now stands at 8-4 as they travel on the road to play in the Florida Shootout on Dec. 15 and 16 against Central Florida and St. Petersburg.