Consecutive conference games ahead

After nearly a month's absence from the court, Point Park University's men's basketball team played three games in the first week of 2012. The extended break allowed the team to rest and gave players who were dealing with injuries time to recover.            

"It gave us a chance to rest our legs," sophomore forward Josh Pohlot said in a phone interview last Thursday night.  "I think it mainly benefitted us.  I think most of the team stayed in shape during the break on their own."

Much like when the Pioneers began their season in November, the team started the 2012 portion of their schedule with only one win in the first three games.

The Pioneers played their first game of the new year at home against Walsh College on Jan. 3 and fell by a score of 90-87.  The team fought back late after trailing by nine points at halftime and had a chance to tie the game in the closing seconds, but it was unable to convert on two three-point shot attempts.  In the loss, Point Park's leading scorer, junior guard T.J. Heatherington, had a career high 37 points.  Senior forward Devon Alexander tallied 21 points in the game.

The next afternoon the team won for the first time in 2012 playing at Salem International University, in Salem, WV.  After a slow start, the Pioneers held a 50-39 lead at the half and went on to win, 103-86.  Heatherington topped his output from the previous day putting up a 42 point performance, giving him a new single-game high.  Alexander again broke the 20-point plateau netting exactly 20 points, and junior guard Jimmy Taylor also added 24 points in the win.

The Pioneers played their next game against Wilberforce University on Jan. 7, falling 92-80 at home despite six Pioneers scoring double-digit points.  Heatherington again led the way with 16 points. 

Heatherington is off to a torrid pace so far in 2012.  By scoring 37 points against Walsh and topping that mark with a 42 point performance against Salem International, he scored single-game highs for himself on back-to-back days.  The 42 points against Salem International was only three points shy of Point Park's single-game point record.  Assistant Coach Gabe Bubon shares the single-game record of 45 points with former Pioneer forward Kris Douse.  Bubon set the record in 2000 and Douse tied the record in 2010.  

Heatherington not only leads Point Park in scoring but also leads the NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) Division II players in scoring and is averaging 26.40 points per game.

"It's pretty cool, but I really wish we could have more wins," Heatherington said about leading NAIA Division II in scoring Tuesday night in a phone interview.

While Heatherington's point production has been on the rise, Alexander notes a change in the output of points by other players.

"He's playing … well, actually he's playing out of his mind," Alexander said of Heatherington during a phone interview Tuesday night, "But on the other hand our second and third leading scorer's are declining … We're having a less balanced attack."

Alexander cited the decline in scoring by some of his teammates was a result of opponents putting more of their attention toward players other than Heatherington.  This week the Pioneers will play two games.  The first matchup will be against Houghton College on Tuesday, and then the team will travel to Roberts Wesleyan College for a game on Saturday.  Both Houghton and Roberts Wesleyan are American Mideast Conference (AMC) teams.

It is important for the Pioneers to beat AMC teams because playoff seeding depends on their conference record.  Right now the Pioneers are in a stretch of 10 consecutive games against American Mideast Conference (AMC) opponents.  They have one win and two losses against AMC opponents at this point in the season.

 "They're the most important games of the season," Heatherington said about conference games, "They really mean a lot when you look at it."