Reivers Win Season Opening OT Thriller

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa - The Iowa Western men's basketball team opened their season on Halloween with a thrilling 110-105 win over the Fort Scott Greyhounds.

The Reivers would control much of the first half, and took a commanding 51-39 lead at halftime. Judah Vignery helped the Reivers get off to a hot start as he finished with 21 points in the first half of play. Iowa Western would push their lead up to as many as 16 points in the early going of the second half, but Fort Scott would refuse to go away; Reiver turnovers would lead to some easy transition baskets for the Greyhounds and the game tightened up quickly.

With under 4:00 remaining in the contest the Reivers held an 11 point lead at 86-75. After a couple of turnovers and ill-advised shots the Greyhounds once again closed in on the Reivers. Iowa Western also struggled to close out the win from the free-throw line as they went 4-8 from the line in the final few minutes. Fort Scott had possession with under 10 seconds remaining and trailed by 2. Noah Porter got the ball inside and finished the basket plus the foul, which gave Fort Scott a chance to seal the win at the free-throw line. Coach Shaw called timeout to force Porter to think about the free-throw, and fortunately for the Reivers the free-throw would be missed and the two teams went to overtime.

In overtime the Reivers were able to convert at the free-throw line as both teams continued to foul each other. The Greyhounds shot 44 free-throws and Iowa Western shot 50 for the contest. Fort Scott finished 57% to Iowa Westerns 70% from the free-throw line which ended up helping the Reivers close out the game in overtime.

Judah Vignery scored his career high in a Reiver uniform with 37 points on 11 of 14 from the floor. Vignery was 4 of 5 from the 3-point line, and 11 of 14 from the stripe. A duo of freshman also had big games for the Reivers as JP Sumo finished with 18 points on 7 of 9 from the floor, and Zayden Best finished with 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists. Sumo and Best both had big plays throughout the game to help propel the Reivers to an opening night win.

The Reivers will return to action on Tuesday November 4^th with a home matchup vs William Penn University JV. Iowa Western will also host the Reivers Classic on November 7^th and 8^th.