Tip-Off: Chicago State University men's basketball continues the South Padre Island Invitational with a road contest in Moraga, Calif., as it battles St. Mary's Tuesday night from McKeon Pavilion. The opening tip is slated for 9 p.m., central time.
Scouting Chicago State: CSU heads into McKeon Pavilion in the fourth game of a seven-game road swing and the second contest of the SPI Invitational. The Cougars, who opened tournament play on Nov. 20 with a 109-60 loss to 23rd-ranked BYU in Provo, Utah, are led by senior guard Christian Wall (New Orleans, LA/John Ehret) and sophomore guard/forward Victor Scott (Chicago, IL/Morgan Park) as both players average 12.8 points per game. Senior forward Hajji Martin (Chicago, IL/Morgan Park) is third on the team in scoring at 9.5 points a game. Wall has also produced a team-best 10 steals, while senior forward Carl Montgomery (Chicago, IL/Shepard) is averaging 8.3 rebounds and one blocked shot per game, and junior guard Ardarius Simmons (Chicago, IL/Southeastern (IA) CC) has dished out a team-leading 10 assists on the young season.
Scouting St. Mary's: St. Mary's concludes its season-opening five-game homestand on Tuesday and sports a 4-0 record on the year after kicking off the SPI Invitational on Sunday evening with an 87-52 win over Mississippi Valley State at McKeon Pavilion. Leading the Gaels is junior forward Clint Steindl's 14.3 points per game, while senior guard Mickey McConnell is averaging 13 points a game. Sophomore guard Matthew Dellavedova averages 12.8 points and a team-best six assists per contest, redshirt sophomore forward Tim Williams is averaging 11.3 points per game, and redshirt junior forward Rob Jones is producing an average of 10 points a game for SMC. Freshman guard Stephen Holt is producing a team-best four steals per game and redshirt junior forward Kenton Walker II has posted a team-high two blocked shots per contest.
Series History: Tuesday's contest will be the first-ever meeting between Chicago State and St. Mary's on the hardwood.
Dial V for Victor: Sophomore Victor Scott (Chicago, IL/Morgan Park) has proven to provide a shooting spark last week as he averaged 13 points and 2.5 assists per game for the Green and White. The 6-foot-3 Scott tallied 17 points to lead CSU in its South Padre Island Invitational opener at 23 rd-ranked BYU that included hitting 4-of-7 from three-point range.
CMo Scores a Grand: Senior forward Carl Montgomery (Chicago, IL/Shepard) achieved a milestone in his collegiate career as he became the latest member of CSU's 1,000-point club and the seventh player to achieve this feat in the program's Division I era. Montgomery scored his 1,000th point at the 11-minute mark of the Cougars' season-opener against Concordia University Chicago on Nov. 13. He finished the game with a double-double of 16 rebounds and 13 points, and is averaging 8.8 points and 8.3 rebounds a game on the year.
Up Next: Chicago State travels to South Padre Island, Texas this weekend for the final two rounds of the SPI Invitational at the South Padre Island Convention Center. The Green and White will face-off against Georgia Southern Friday afternoon at 12 p.m.
