#25 Drury Panthers (7-0) in Las Vegas Holiday Hoops Classic
Dec. 21-22, 2019 – Las Vegas, Nev.
South Point Arena & Equestrian Center
 
Live Coverage
Radio:  JOCK 98.7 FM
Audio: www.jock987.com, TuneIn App
Live Video: GLVCNS.com/drury
Live Stats: DruryPanthers.com
 
Panthers hit Vegas for the Holiday Hoops Classic
The Drury Panthers visit Las Vegas for the Holiday Hoops Classic at South Point Arena & Equestrian Center on Saturday and Sunday. Drury will face Rollins on Saturday at 2 pm (Central), then will take on either Pittsburg State Montana State-Billings on Sunday at 4:15 pm (Central) on the second day of the four-team tournament.
 
The Panthers are 7-0 and cracked the NCAA-II top 25 this week, debuting in the coaches' poll at number 25. Drury has been idle since Dec. 14 when they defeated Central Christian 77-55 at home.
 
Rollins is 6-3 and coming off of an 86-85 win last Saturday at Nova Southeastern, ranked number one in the nation at the time. The Tars have won four of their last five entering the tournament. Drury is 0-2 all-time against Rollins, and Saturday will be the first meeting between the two teams since Dec.18 2007 when the Tars defeated the Panthers 88-76 in Las Vegas.
 
Both Montana State-Billings and Pittsburg State enter the tournament with 4-4 records. The two teams will play in the other first-round game on Saturday.
 
Should Drury win their game on Saturday, they will play the winner of the MSU-Billings vs. Pittsburg State game on Sunday at 4:15 pm. If the Panthers lose, they will face the loser of the Yellowjackets-Gorillas game.
 
This weekend's games are Drury's first in Las Vegas since the 2015-16 season when the Panthers split two games in the event.
 
Following this weekend, the Panthers will take an NCAA-mandated break in their schedule and return to action on Jan. 2 against 16th ranked Southern Indiana with a 7:30 pm in Evansville, Indiana.
 
Players to Watch
DRURY
#13 Cal Hartley 16.4 ppg, 24/42 3-pt att. (.571)
#0 Conley Garrison 14.6 ppg, 5.7 ast pg, 5.9 rpg
#4 Asa Hutchinson 11.0 ppg
 
Rollins
#21 Jakobi Bonner 16.4 ppg, .872 FT pct
#00 Hutten Yenor 12.2 ppg
#5 Dayton Gumm 11.9 ppg
 
QUICK FACTS
Records
Drury: 7-0, ranked #25 in NCAA-II
Rollins: 6-3
Pittsburg St.: 4-4
Montana St.-Billings: 4-4
 
Head Coaches
DU: Steve Hesser (16th year, 330-126)
RC: Tom Klusman (40th year, 709-428)
PSU: Kim Anderson (3rd year, 38-30/18th year, 339-192)
MSU-B: Mick Durham (2nd year, 19-18/25th year, 357-334)
 
All-Time Series
Drury 0-2 vs Rollins
Drury 18-26 vs Pittsburg St.
Drury 1-0 vs Montana St.-Billings
 
Drury Schedule in the Holiday Hoops Classic
Saturday: DRURY vs Rollins, 2 pm
Saturday: Pittsburg St. vs Montana St.-Billings, 4:15 pm
Sunday: Rollins vs Pitt St./MSU-Billings, 2 pm
Sunday: DRURY vs Pitt St./MSU-Billings, 4:15 pm
     (all times CST)
 
Next
Panthers at #16 Southern Indiana -- Thur., Jan. 2
7:30 pm -- Evansville, Indiana
 
 
#allweDUiswin