Greyhounds Fall to No. 1 Kirkwood in John Wood Classic Opener

QUINCY, Ill. — ASU Mid-South battled hard but couldn't overcome a massive free throw disparity, falling 87-77 to top-ranked Kirkwood in Game One of the John Wood Classic on Friday.

The Greyhounds held a 42-37 lead at halftime, but foul trouble proved costly as the Eagles shot 39 free throws compared to just 19 for ASU Mid-South. Kirkwood capitalized at the line to pull away in the second half.

Phillip Tillman led all scorers with 27 points for the Greyhounds, while Jaxson Yancy added 17 and Dejavius Johnson chipped in 13. Hugh McFarland flirted with a triple-double, finishing with 9 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists.

Kirkwood was paced by Chris Coleman's 23 points, while Manasse Kasongo recorded a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Yaris Irby came off the bench to score 13, Ben Bockman added 12, and Landon Deiters rounded out the balanced attack with 10.

Despite the loss, the Greyhounds showed they can compete with the nation's best. "I thought our guys came out and played really well in that first half. We didn't respond the way we needed to when they punched us in the mouth in the 2nd half, and it costed us some big possessions," said ASU Mid-South Head Coach Cody Hastings. "They only have a couple guys back from last years national championship team, but they are so well coached and just out executed us, especially in the 2nd half. They are still a really good team, but it's going to be a long season if we continue to foul and let teams shoot 3 times the amount of free throws that we do. I'm looking forward to seeing how we respond back tomorrow against a talented John Wood team."

ASU Mid-South (2-2) will look to bounce back in Game Two of the Classic on Saturday against hosts John Wood Community College. Tip-off is set for 3:00.