2019-20 Season Comes To A Close In RSC Quarterfinals

NEW ALBANY, IN – Qualifying for the conference tournament for the first time under Head Coach Casey Coons, the Ohio Christian University Trailblazers faced the # 1 seed Grenadiers of Indiana University Southeast on Wednesday in the River States Conference Quarterfinals. After a stellar first half effort that included a five-point halftime lead, the Trailblazers struggled to slow down the high powered Grenadiers in the final 20 minutes in the 93-78 loss.

Ohio Christian came out of the gates firing, as a quick 9-0 run in the opening minutes forced an early IU Southeast timeout. The Grenadiers eventually settled down, grabbing their first lead at the 10:46 mark. IU Southeast built a three point lead before seeing the Trailblazers once again get hot, finishing the half on a 25-17 run.

In the second half, momentum quickly shifted, as the Grenadiers used a huge run to pull away early in the second half, forcing the Trailblazers to battle from behind. Despite hanging within striking range late, the Trailblazers found themselves in too deep of a hole late in the game to overcome.

"I am proud of the way our guys fought tonight and this season," said Head Coach Casey Coons. "IUSE is a great team, and they made plays when they needed to. We are so proud of our four seniors and we will miss them. We will keep working and growing our young guys and hope to be back stronger next season."

Ending the year with another great performance, Justin Barksdale (SO/Fishers, IN) provided another double double on Wednesday with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Senior Jermaine Smith (SR/Terre Haute, IN) also finished in double figures with 10 points, while Senior Rohan Ashok (SR/Bangalore, India) came off the bench to provide nine points.

Following the loss, OCU's season comes to an end with a record of 9-20 overall and 6-10 in River States Conference play.

For more on the Trailblazer Basketball program and the rest of Ohio Christian University Athletics, follow us on Twitter (@OCUTrailblazers), Facebook (Ohio Christian University Trailblazers), and Youtube (Ohio Christian University Trailblazers)