Comets run out to big win in penultimate home game

It's never too late to try something new.

With only three games left in their inaugural season, the Comets changed their starting lineup and emphasized an up-tempo attack against North Iowa Area. The strategy paid off with multiple standout performances in a 99-85 home conference win.

The Comets (7-18, 3-13 ICCAC) were led by a season-high 23 points from Bie Ruei and career-high 17 from Ahmad Ingram, respectively.

Comets head coach Harvis 'CoCo' Cofield changed his starting lineup to a smaller, quicker five that he felt could push the pace and challenge the Trojans. Keishaun Pendleton, Ashton Pennamon, Juvares Safford, Zeb Svoboda and Ruei took the floor for the jump and each played for more than half the game. 

"That group played really well throughout the week at practice," Cofield said. "When they get into the game they were showing they play well together."

Ruei was 9-for-13 from the floor and 4-for-4 from the foul line. He finished with seven rebounds, two assists, four steals, one block and only two minutes of rest.

Cofield said Ruei's well-rounded game and leadership skills makes him invaluable on the court.

"One thing you can count on with Bie, he's always going to play the right way. He understands the game at a very high level," Cofield said. "He's always around, always communicating. He plays hard.

"He comes to the bench (breathing hard), I'm like, 'You ain't tired, get back in there,'" Cofield said, laughing.

Ruei's put-back following Pennamon's steal and fast-break gave WIT its biggest lead of the night, 87-58, with 9:24 left in the game. 

Frequent starters Jailyn Spears and Ingram flourished in their reserve roles.

"We (had) a little more firepower coming off the bench with the previous starters," Cofield said. "It worked out for the better of the team."

Ingram shot 8-for-10 in 24 minutes off the bench and pulled down seven rebounds, a career-best for the guard.

"He's one of our starters, one of our sophomores," Cofield said. "The challenge was there and I'm glad that he responded to it in the right way."

Ingram scored on a variety of drives, floaters and stop-on-a-dime mid-range pull-ups.

"He's one of those guys that's cat-quick, he can get into the lane, he's got great ball-handling skills," Cofield said. "We wanted him to be aggressive ... he responded really well and I'm really proud of him for doing that."

Spears scored 16 points in 16 minutes off the bench. Spears shot 6-for-9 but fouled out midway through the second half, with the Comets leading by 19.

The Comets won in virtually every facet of the game. They came away with more blocks, steals, rebounds and assists, and committed fewer turnovers. 

It was the first time in eight games (January 20 at Northeast) that WIT won the rebounding battle.

"That's one stat I was very happy about, and I told them that after the game, 'We rebounded tonight and we gave ourselves more opportunities, more possessions,'" Cofield said. "We gotta continue to keep doing that."

Cofield was also proud of having six players score in double figures. 

"We were sharing the ball, playing together. And we played a lot faster," he said.

Pennamon had a team-high seven assists.

Though Safford didn't break double digits, his impact was felt on both ends of the floor. The 6-5 forward finished with seven points, nine rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block.

"We knew what we had with Juvares, he's a high motor type of kid," Cofield said. "He's a small big man. He plays really fast, we like to put him in pick-and-rolls when we have bigger guys (defending him), then he's able to go around them.

"Last night he was very efficient on the floor so we want to continue to ride that throughout these next two games."

The Comets led 48-35 at halftime. The Trojans scored a layup on their first possession of the second half, their last time trailing by single digits. Svoboda immediately answered with a 3-pointer from the left wing and the Comets were on their way to a 10-2. Svoboda made three from deep and finished with 13 points.

Saturday's home finale will mark the final time the Comets' four sophomores – Ruei, Ingram, Spears and Latrel Davis – have a chance to play in front of their home crowd. The sophomores will be honored before the 1 p.m. game against Northeast College.