Harper wins a couple the hard way

In a battle of 5-win men's basketball teams at Harper College's Sports and Wellness Center on Tuesday night, the host Hawks came away with win No. 6.

It didn't come easily against Illinois Valley Community College, as Harper (6-7) managed to protect an 11-point halftime lead in prevailing 77-69.

IVCC (5-7) made things interesting by going on a 13-2 spurt in the first three minutes of the second half.

"Basketball is a game of runs," said Hawks first year coach Dr. Justin Welke.

And ultimately, Harper had one of its own.

A pair of Jazz Drane free throws game him 2 of his 10 points and helped ICC to a 55-52 lead with 9:32 to play.

Harper's bench played a key role in the victory as it contributed 31 points. The inside-outside combination of Robert Hudson and Dvonta Jones accounted for 20 of them, with 10 apiece.

"DJ was great, he's our motor," said Welke.

Wheeling's Abdul Mushtaq chipped in 9 points in his six minutes of play.

"They all have to be ready," the first-year coach said of his bench production.

Harper was led in scoring by Admir Suljic (18 points), while IVCC's Tyree Coe led all scorers with 21.

Harper earned its third win in the last five games.

Another starter who would make another solid contribution was Jalon Roundy (Fremd, 10 points).

"Roundy is so steady," Welke said of his starting shooting guard. "He played his game."

Women's game: Two minutes and 34 seconds seems like an eternity to be without your leading scorer at the end of the game. But that was the situation facing the Harper women's basketball team Tuesday, and the Hawks managed to meet the challenge in a 65-63 victory over visiting Illinois Valley Community College.

Leading scorer Joslyn Nicholson (29 points) fouled out but Harper found a way to stay ahead.

Harper was without a substitue due to a recent season ending ACL injury suffered by guard Nastia Solsaa, so the Hawks (6-7) competed with four players down the stretch.

And the Hawks' shortest player, Kim Herzog, stood tall.

"I just took charge" said Herzog, a freshman guard who finished with 9 of the Hawks' last 11 points. "Someone had to score."

Illinois Valley fell to 2-7.