THE University of The Bahamas Mingoes men’s basketball team picked up a 99-95 victory over the Royal Bahamas Police Force Crimestoppers last week Thursday at the Kendal Isaacs National Gymnasium.

The Mingoes were led by freshman Jerehemiah Miller who finished with 28 points and nine rebounds. Reserve guard Evan Hanna scored 16 points and had two rebounds. Erquantae Edgecombe and Theodore Grant scored 13 and 12 points respectively. 

Evan Cartwright chipped in with 11 points.

“This win was vital for us,” Miller said. “We had to execute our plays and come out strong and get the win.”

Leading the way for the Crimestoppers was Kirkwood Farrington who finished with a game-high 47 points.

UB got off to a slow start to the game when they trailed 33-25 to the undermanned Crimestoppers. 

The second quarter was when the game changed in favour of UB. They were down 39-23 with 7:43 left in the second quarter. They quickly went on a 10-0 run that saw Hanna making a layup with 4:49 left in the half to put his team up 42-39. The crowd was fired up as Crimestoppers called a timeout.

“After the last game where we lost by two points, I talked to coach and I told him I like coming off the bench because I bring that intensity,” Hanna said.

UB held a 50-45 lead at the half. The game appeared wrapped up with just under three minutes left in regulation as UB began to play their bench players with a 10-point lead. 

The Crimestoppers had other plans and made a run to trail 92-88 with 1:23 left in the fourth quarter. UB made some clutch free-throws from Grant and Edgecombe to hold on to win 99-95.

In the end, UB shot 51.2 percent while the Crimestoppers shot 53.4 percent. The game saw seven lead changes and two ties.

UB, who sport a 2-1 win/loss record, will continue its basketball showcase with its homecoming game set for Friday, November 8 against Nassau Flight Services Ballers at 7pm.

The showcase is a series of standalone games for The UB Mingoes men’s basketball team to develop skills for the team’s international season.