“We knew we would have our hands full today,” stated third year head coach Barry Rohrssen. “Obviously, Chris had an outstanding game. Herve Banogle came in the first half and did very well, got us out of the gate and set the tone.”
Smith knocked down his first seven shots of the contest, including a 3-pointer 55 seconds into the game, giving the Jaspers a lead they would hang on to. Herve Banogle was as precise as Smith, shooting a perfect 4-4 from the floor for a career-high eight points. Smith and Banogle were off to a hot start knocking down their first 11 combined shots
Banogle has not missed a shot attempt at Draddy Gymnasium in four home games this season (10-10).
The Jaspers carried a 33-26 advantage into intermission behind 18 first half points from Smith. He was 12-17 from the floor during the contest and sank four 3-pointers.
The Jaspers rallied back behind a Darryl Crawford 3, and then a Smith tomahawk jam on the ensuing possession. The surge fueled a 9-2 run and gave
Junior point guard Antoine Pearson was the only other Jasper to score in double-figures. He finished with 13 points and was 7-11 from the free-throw line.