Geoff Busts Slump; Church Signs and Reports Early

Bismarck, ND – GEOFF WEST and the University of Mary exploded offensively in the second half as the Marauders defeated Bemidji State University 79-68 Friday night.



West scored 15 points after intermission and the Marauders snapped an eight-game losing streak.



Tied early in the second half, the Marauders took control on a 9-1 run behind treys by West and Zach Dosch that built a double-digit lead for U-Mary at 48-38. The Marauders would build the lead to as many as 16 points late in the game.



After scoring in double digits in 10 straight games, West had slipped into a slump recently by scoring just 23 points in his last six games.



West broke out at just the right time, leading U-Mary with 18 points, 15 coming after the break. The junior guard from Lompoc, CA, made 5-of-9 shots from the field, including 3-of-5 beyond the arc. He also made all five of his free throw attempts and added three assists.

Saturday Geoff followed up by leading the team with four steals and four assists plus nine points as the Marauders won again, this time 75-64 over Minnesota-Crookston.

The victories push the Marauders past the Bemidji for the final slot in the NSIC tournament with one game left for U-Mary and two for BSU. The Marauders are now 8-18 overall and 5-12 in the NSIC.

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JOEL


The Washington Huskies startled the world last Saturday when they upset UCLA, but Thursday night they looked like a squad running 4-8 in the PAC-10. They lost 71-58 at Oregon 71-58. JOEL SMITH, playing his customary sixth man role, contributed five points and three steals in 11 minutes.

Saturday Joel did not score but brought down three rebounds, snagged two steals, and dished an assist in 19 minutes as the Huskies demolished Oregon State 97-59. Now UW is 5-8.

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Major League Baseball
CHURCH REPORTS EARLY


Though position players are not expected to report until next week, RYAN CHURCH reported to the New York Mets on Friday. MLB.com reported as follows--



Though Endy Chavez and Angel Pagan could push for at-bats, Mets manager Willie Randolph on Friday confirmed that the starting right-field job remains Church's to lose. If Church shows a propensity to hit lefties, Randolph said he could just play every day.



The knock on Church remains his career .254 average against left-handed pitching, which dipped to .229 last year. But now he'll be playing home games at Shea Stadium, where he hit .317 with four home runs. He doesn't consider those numbers to be minor.



"I hit well there," Church said. "I like hitting there. That's why I'm excited. I definitely think that the doubles can turn into home runs."



And he is excited -- thrilled, even. While many players have qualms about being traded to another team, Church said he was delighted from the start.



"I was pumped," he said. "When they told me I was traded, the first thing I said was, 'Who was it?' When they said New York, I was like, 'Thank God.'"



Last week Church avoided arbitration and signed a one-year $2 million contract with the Mets.