The University of Mississippi Athletics
SEC All-Stars Continue Winning Ways
8/12/1999 | Men's Basketball
Aug. 12, 1999
FUKUI, Japan - The Southeastern Conference All-Star Team continued its winning ways with a 80-63 win over the Japan National Team in Fukui, its third double-digit victory in four games in the 1999 Basketball Universiade Anniversary Cup.
Thanks to a 17-7 run in the final 7:30 in the first half, the SEC All-Stars went into the half with a 20-point lead, 43-23. The SEC again used its tenacious defense to slow the Japan attack throughout the game, creating 10 steals while allowing Japan to shoot only 39.3 percent (33 of 84) from the field.
"I thought our kids came out and defended well," said SEC co-head coach Rod Barnes. "We had a goal again to keep them to a low percentage from the field. I thought we did a great job of defending without fouling. We definitely did a great job on the defensive boards."
The SEC crashed the defensive boards for 31 rebounds and permitted only one offensive rebound for the Japanese. Ole Miss' Marcus Hicks led the SEC board work with eight rebounds in addition to his 12 points. Mississippi State's Tang Hamilton, who led the team with 16 points, pulled down seven rebounds as did Arkansas' Brandon Dean, Florida's Major Parker and Tennessee's C.J. Black.
In the second half, the Japanese cut into the SEC lead, getting within 11 points with 5:12 remaining at 66-55 but the SEC squad extended the lead with two exciting fast-break dunks in a 14-8 run to secure the 17-point win.
"I attribute (the scoring runs) to how well each of these guys have been coached in our league," said co-head coach John Brady. "They understand that the first five minutes of a half and the last five minutes of a half are extremely important in terms of winning. Coach Barnes and I have reminded them of that but they have also been well-coached. There is a competitiveness in this collection of guys that wants to win and that has made it a lot easier to make them play hard.
"I am quite proud of this bunch for what it has been able to do to make this a five-game sweep and we're looking forward to playing the game in Tokyo."
Tokyo is the site for the fifth and final game of the BUAC for the SEC All-Stars and the Japan National Team. Tipoff is set for Saturday at 3 p.m. Japan Time (1 a.m. Central Time). The team travels from Fukui to Tokyo Friday morning via Japan Airlines and will take the majority of the afternoon to enjoy shopping in Tokyo, except for a light 30-minute evening practice at Yoyogi Olympic Gym.
