FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 11-18-06

Men's College Basketball: AASU 65, Missouri Western State 61

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Armstrong Atlantic hit four three-pointers in a two-minute second-half stretch to claim a 65-61 men's college basketball victory over host Missouri Western State on Saturday evening in the final game of the 2006 Hillyard TipOff Classic in St. Joseph, Mo.

The Pirates (2-0) trailed the host Griffons by five at halftime, 37-32, then fought back to take the lead, 45-44, on two Bryan Taylor free throws with 8:29 remaining. Missouri Western State (1-1) retook the lead on a layup by Ricky Quarels, 46-45, but AASU then hit four three-pointers in its next five shots - including two from Tory Harris - to give the Pirates a 57-48 lead with 6:07 remaining.

Taylor, who was named the Classic MVP, then iced the game by making four free throws in the final 30 seconds. The senior finished the game with a game-high 18 points, including a 10-of-11 performance from the free throw line, while Harris added 12 points. On the night, Taylor passed the 1,000 career point plateau for the Pirates, the first AASU player to reach 1,000 points in a career since Tavares Brown in 2000-01. Missouri Western was led by J.R. Reed's 16 points and Joe Manthe's 14 points.

AASU hit 8-of-20 from three-point range on the evening (40 percent), while the Griffons hit just 5-of-31 shots from beyond the arc for 16 percent. Harris joined Taylor in earning All-Tournament honors.

The Pirates return to action on Saturday, November 25, as AASU hosts Florida Southern at Noon at Alumni Arena.

-Pirates-