by Unlike the Jan. 8 meeting between Clarke University and Graceland University in Lamoni, won by the Yellowjackets on a tip-in with two seconds remaining, Wednesday night’s matchup at the Robert and Ruth Kehl Center didn’t come down to a final possession. Coach Jim Blaine’s No. 24 ranked Pride avenged last month’s one-point setback to Graceland in a convincing manner, racing to an 88-65 win.
Clarke owned a 39-32 lead at halftime. Darius Lasley (Meskwaki Nation) and the Pride caught fire in the second half. The Pride shot 57.6 percent from the field and 60 percent from beyond the arc in the final 20 minutes of play. Lasley hit 11 of 15 shots from the field for the game, including 8 of 12 from three-point range. He scored 22 of his game-high 31 points in the second half. Lasley’s eight treys matched the school record.
Clarke turned a 13-point lead with 6:25 to play in the game into a 24-point advantage with 3:51 left with an 11-0 run. Lasley tallied all 11 points, the first two coming off a two-point field goal. He then nailed three straight treys.
Clarke, which improved to 19-7 overall and 15-5 in Heart circles, also featured double-figure scoring efforts from Nick Marshall (SO/Greenwith, Australia) (18), Dylan Kurey (SO/Kaukauna, Wis.) (13) and Keith Johnson (SO/Dubuque, Iowa) (12).
LaVeechie Williams (SR/Cedar Rapids, Iowa) had a game-high nine rebounds, helping Clarke to a 40-28 advantage on the boards. Jordan Lake (SO/Peosta, Iowa) and Marshall dished out six and five assists, respectively, while Lasley recorded four steals.
Clarke hit 17 three-point field goals, one shy of the school mark set at Morningside in 2015 and matched at Peru State in 2018.
