The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

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February 9, 2010

Cougars return to action tonight without Aldridge

By Dan Stillwell

Bob Bolen is looking for someone to step up tonight.

His unbeaten, top-rated Mountain State University Cougars will probably go without their most productive player when Hiwassee College visits at 7 p.m. at the Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center.

Bolen said senior forward Nick Aldridge injured an ankle in practice Monday and is doubtful for the game with the Tigers.

“I’d say he’s out,” Bolen said. “Nick is a great athlete, but one of our other big men will have to step up to the plate.”

Aldridge averages 23 points, 7.5 rebounds for the 23-0 Cougars. He also chips in 2.3 assists and has 33 steals and 17 blocks.

“We’re disappointed Nick’s out, but he sat out one other game this year and the guys went out and performed,” Bolen said. “A good team has to do that.”

And MSU is a good team, make no doubt about it.

The Cougars are the NAIA’s most explosive squad, averaging 100.6 points per game.

In all, they’re No. 1 in 10 NAIA categories. Among them are assists per game (19.96), total scoring offense (2,313), total rebounds per game (47.2) and total rebound offense (1,086).

“We’ve shared the basketball, for the most part,” Bolen said. “Aldridge has been a great scorer and Brian Ormon a tremendous rebounder.

“Our three guards, Winston Robinson, Barry Wellington and Barry Hunter, are versatile and they’ve showed they can score.”

Ormon averages 9.3 points and 8.8 rebounds per game.

Robinson averages 14 points, while Hunter and Wellington follow at 13.5 and 13.2. Wellington also has 38 steals on the season.

Andrew Lee contributes 9.4 points and 6.9 rebounds and has blocked 18 shots.

MSU is coming off a 94-86 win Jan. 30 at Life University. Two days earlier the Cougars won 96-85 at Talladega University.

Tonight’s opponent, Hiwassee, is 10-9 and has not played since winning 111-103 at Jan. 26 Fisk University.

This will be the first meeting between the schools.

“Hiwassee was a real good junior college and just went four years last year,” Bolen said.

The Tigers are led by 6-foot-5 forward Adrian McLaurin, who averages 21 points a game, and guard Nick Hudson, who averages 13.

Their defense can cause people problems.

“They extend their it the full court,” Bolen said. “They use different zone presses and they’re very aggressive.”

Hiwassee is the first of three opponents this week for the Cougars. They’ll travel to Emmanuel College Thursday before returning home Saturday to host Lambuth University.

Two 11-under AAU boys basketball teams, Raleigh Hoops and The Net, will square off at 5 p.m. today in a preliminary game at the BRCCC.

— E-mail:

dstillwell@

register-herald.com

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