The Comet Men's Basketball squad began their 2018-19 campaign tonight, facing the Providence University College Pilots inside the Lewy Lee Fieldhouse. Coming off a stellar 2017-18 season, the Comets brought some familiar faces to the court, as well as some newcomers to the team that made an impact in the season's first contest. Six Comets scored in double figures on the night, as the Comets cruised past the Pilots with a 112-48 win to come out strong in their home opener.

Things were tight in the early minutes with the Comets jumping out 4-0 and the Pilots answering it back with a 5-2 run. From there, the Comets picked up the pace and fired off an 8-0 run, with 4 quick points from Leon Williams and a bucket from Daniel Lindgren, which helped extend the lead to 10.  The pace would continue to build for the MSU squad, as another 8-0 run would force PUC into a timeout with 8:37 to go in the first half.  Max Cooper was a big part of that build, getting 4 of his 16 on the night in that stretch. Eric Staebler came in to help the Comets extend their lead even more, hitting a 3 and getting a nice one down low with the extra point to boot for a quick 6 point addition to the scoreboard.  The Comets defense was getting the job done, as they collected 7 steals in the first half and kept the Pilots shooting only 25 percent from the field. The Comets ended the half with a comfortable 55 to 23 lead. 

The second half saw the Comets continuing to set the pace and keep the tempo high, limiting the Pilots to just 10 points in the final 10 minutes of play.  MSU was shuffling in familiar faces and some new talent they gained for short spurts of time to keep up the pressure.  Leon Williams was a quiet surprise in the second half for the Comets, as he sank 13 of his 17 in that half, shooting 8 of 14 from the field in the game.  Jesus Martinez was also a top performer, with 6 in the first half and 7 in the second.  The Comets went on multiple runs in the final 20 minutes, including a 14-0 run that build their lead to 42.  In the end, the Comets ran away with the victory, 112-48.  

Leading the Comets in scoring was Leon Williams with 17, also a game-high. Five other Comets were in double figures: Max Cooper with 16, Daniel Lindgren with 15, Jack Turnbull with 14, Jesus Martinez with 13, and Eric Staebler with 11. Eleven men on MSU's roster contributed on the night. The Comets won the battle of the boards as well, with 47 rebounds to the Pilots' 30. 11 of those were offensive boards, with 36 on defense. Jesus Martinez led with 9 total rebounds for the Comets.  Leon Williams also had 4 steals on the night. Michael Slaba had a nice night of dishing out assists with 9 for MSU. Daymarcco Green had 6 assists as well. 

Coach Darren Tighe liked what he saw to begin his second season at the helm of the Comet Men. "I really liked how we took care of the ball and shared it today. 29 assists against 8 turnovers is a great recipe for success."

The Comets shot very well from the floor, hitting nearly 63% in the second half and ending with 57% on the night. They were also 12 for 32 from the 3 point line.  On turnovers, the Comets kept their total to 8 while forcing 22 on the Pilots.

The two teams face again this Sunday afternoon at 3pm at Mayville State.