SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Powered by Zach Howell's career-high 33 points and a total of six double-figure scorers, Drury men's basketball shattered three school records -- including the program's single-game scoring mark -- in a 137-62 victory over Central Christian College Wednesday evening at O'Reilly Family Event Center.
Drury shot .671 (51-of-76) from the floor and .677 (21-of-31) from three-point range, as its 137 points broke the program's previous single-game standard of 129, established in a 129-89 victory over Lincoln on Feb. 20, 2002.
The Panthers also logged a Drury single-game record for three-point field goals (21) and matched the program's all-time mark for margin of victory (+75).
Howell, who added five rebounds, four assists and three steals to his final tally, eclipsed the Panthers' single-game record for three-point field goals with 11 makes from beyond the arc en route to his career night, surpassing former DU teammate Logan Applegate's 10 successful treys last February at SBU.
Drury (5-5), which snapped a five-game skid with the victory, used a 17-0 first-half run to seize control of the contest. The Panthers never looked back, shooting 24-of-35 (.686) from the field in the opening stanza, including a a blistering 73.7-percent (14-of-19) from three-point range.
Howell, who knocked down his first eight attempts from beyond the three-point arc, fueled a Panthers' first-half onslaught that saw DU take a 35-point cushion into halftime. Isaiah Otyaluk possessed a hot shooting touch as well, going 4-of-5 from long range -- and 6-of-7 from the floor overall -- in the opening half to tally 17 points.
After Central Christian (4-7) rode a trio of three-pointers in the first four minutes of the contest to an early 11-8 advantage, the Panthers responded with a 17-0 outburst to turn the momentum for good. Howell started the spurt with the second of his eight first-half triples, and Kevin Sargeant followed by completing a conventional three-point play to give DU a 14-11 lead.
The same duo would strike again during the game's critical run, as Sargeant's layup at the 13:21 mark handed the Panthers a nine-point cushion, before Howell drained another long-range jumper 30 seconds later to stretch the margin to 23-11. In all, DU went 6-of-6 from the floor and 3-of-3 at the foul line during the run that spanned 3:46.
The Saints would get no closer in the second half. Howell picked up where he left off in the first by sinking all three of his tries from beyond the arc, including the record-breaker that extended DU's lead to 62 points, with 9:38 still left to play. He finished the night 11-of-12 from both three-point range and overall.
Drury surpassed the 100-point barrier with just over 11 minutes left in regulation and the Panthers' bench did its part, outscoring the Saints' reserves by a 54-11 margin. DU also owned the interior, finishing with a 60-22 scoring advantage in the paint.
In addition, Otyaluk finished 9-of-12 from the field for a career-high 25-point night, while Keion Epps and Aladji Gassama tallied 16 points apiece off the Drury bench. KeShaun Thomas tallied his third double-double as a Panther, totaling 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Sargeant finished with a career-best 13-point effort.
Epps matched a career high with nine assists to lead the Panthers, who recorded 33 assists as a team on 51 successful field goal attempts. The Panthers' 51 makes from the floor came within one field goal of another school record.
Trey Palmer led Central Christian with 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting.
LOOKING AHEAD
The Panthers continue their six-game home stand Sunday (Dec. 21), when they take on Arkansas-Fort Smith in a 1 p.m. contest at O'Reilly.
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