Heading into the Winter Break, the Titans Men’s Basketball team was struggling to find their identity on the court. To make matters worse, injuries forced multiple players to be sidelined throughout. Only four players remained healthy enough to see action in all 15 games the team has played so far. However, In December, players started returning from injuries and there was an immediate impact on the overall results.
On Saturday, Dec. 17, the Titans welcomed Indian River State College, who were ranked the sixth team in the state. From the tip-off, SPC looked like a different squad! The intensity levels were through the roof, and the players seemed to be moving around with more purpose. Leading the charge for the Titans was freshman Jaden Ezomo, who led all scorers with 25 points. Added to that, the Titans got a breakout game from sophomore Branco Balingate, who had 15 points and 12 rebounds in only 37 minutes of play – a team high. At the end, the Titans pulled off the upset 68-65.
Following the game against Indian River, the Titans were released for Winter Break but needed to return by Dec. 28 for a game on Dec. 30 against Miami Dade College. The squad went into battle without Ezomo, who went home to Syracuse, NY for the holidays and was caught up in the winter storm and travel delays that abounded. The team was able to continue winning and build off that momentum they had going into the break. Led by Josh Meo, the Titans showed a tough defense and out rebounded the Sharks 49-31 en route to the 59-54 win.
The Titans kick off conference season this on Jan. 7 against the Dayton State Falcons. Game time will be at 4 p.m. Watch the game on Daytona State’s Youtube channel.
