By MILES SOUZA
With an electric win in their home opener against the Milwaukee School of Engineering, Beloit’s Men’s Basketball team is off to a scorching start, winning three out of their first four games. Their 3-1 record is the best start to a season the Bucs have had in the last 20 years.
Beloit started their season in Ohio at the Defiance Tournament, hosted by Defiance College. Despite the lack of competition, the Bucs started their season with two convincing wins. It was very promising to see the team not just cruise to two wins, but try to start by making a statement.
A statement was made that weekend. With their first steps back on the court since last winter, the Bucs took their first victory by a score of 81-64 against the hosts Defiance. The team came out firing with the adrenaline of opening night, outscoring Defiance 44-32 in the first half.
The offense was firing on all cylinders. Junior forward Semaj Roy ’25 led the offense with 19 points. His 19 point game on 6-12 shooting was a career high in points, beating his high from last season which was 18.
The Bucs along with Roy, saw three other scorers with over 10 points. The offense looked fluid and effortless, a positive sign for the season to come.
In game two of the Defiance Tournament, the Buccaneers took on Bethany College, who they beat by a score of 72-61. This game was a little different from the rest, where the Bucs started out a little slow and pushed away in the second half.
The Bucs entered halftime only up two by a score of 27-25. But, the coach’s halftime speech lit a fire under them. They outscored Bethany by a score of 45-36. Center Azeez Ganiyu ’24 and Roy led the team with 15 and 11 points, to go along with 10 rebounds each.
Their third game of the season showed some weakness. The crosstown rival game against the Rockford Regents didn’t follow the same storyline, with the Bucs losing 71-74.
Beloit has always faced early second half issues and they were more than present during this game. The Bucs went into the locker room with a seven point lead, but were outscored 34-44 in the second half.
The lack of fire and consistent play after halftime is a concern for the Bucs. But, if they keep that under control, they look like a very tough team to beat. This was proven once again in their 76-67 home opener win against MSOE.
Guard Ryan Nixon ’25 led the charge, scoring Beloit’s first four baskets to open the game. He led the offense with 18 points on his six for 10 shooting. The rowdy crowd and electric atmosphere injected the Bucs with energy throughout the entire game. The hometown crowd sure gave them a home court advantage during their opener.
The Bucs will hope to continue this record start at Aurora on Tuesday, followed by their first conference game, Tuesday the 24th, at Lawrence University.
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