Big Second Half Pushes UNOH Past UM-Dearborn 103-74

LIMA, OH - UNOH had to battle through adversity in the first half against UM-Dearborn but found their rhythm in the second scoring a season high 63 points en route to a 103-74 win, the program's largest since 2019.

The teams went toe-to-toe in the first half with just four points seperating the two at the break. The second half began where the first ended and the Racers held a slight lead, 53-51, with 12:31 to play. UNOH hit their first big streak 13-2 and went up 66-53 with less than ten to remaining. After UM-Dearborn cut the lead back to eight, the Racers ran again 10-3 to make it a 15-point game. Once again, a timeout helped the Wolvines get a few points back, but UNOH outscored UM-Dearborn 27-9 down the stretch for the program's first triple-digit outing since November 1, 2019 (Emmaus Bible - 110).

Ryan Archey had a big night for UNOH and his career bagging 26 points, his most since opening night, pushing over the 1,000 point mark for his career (1,020) while pulling down a season high twelve rebounds for his first double-double of the campaign. Archey shot 9-19 (47%) from the field and a perfect 7-7 from the charity stripe. 

"I was really proud of Ryan Archey tonight," head coach Richard Westerlund commented after the game. "I've been extremely tough on him and he played a complete game on both ends of the floor while also scoring his 1,000th point."

Jayden Priddy-Powell scored 19 points off the bench, Kahlil Davis finished with 18 and Grant Pikkaart added 16 for the Racers.

UNOH pulled down a season high 54 rebounds as a team to 42 for the Wolverines. The Racers hit eleven three-pointers with 19 assists in the game, both season highs.

"I'm really pleased with the win and to see us play well offensively," Westerlund added. "We didn't do a great job in the first half with making them pay for their mistakes, but in the second you could see our style and pace really affect them. We had a lot of positives and it's something we can build on going forward."

Going forward, the Racers will host (RV) Rochester on Wednesday, January 17, before ending a brief three-game home stand with Cornerstone next Saturday.