Ottumwa, IA – An emphatic second-half powered No. 3 Indian Hills Men's Basketball to a 108-57 victory over Elgin Community College (IL) at the Hellyer Center Friday night. The Warriors have now won nine in a row to move to 20-4 on the year.
The Warriors surged past the Spartans with a 71-point performance over the final 20 minutes of action. Indian Hills was led by sophomore Joao Das Chagas (Niquelândia, Brazil/Arizona Western) who poured in a career-night with 25 points and 23 rebounds. Das Chagas was joined by fellow sophomore Trenton Walters (Frisco, TX/Radford) who added 20 points, six rebounds, and six assists in the win.
Big-time game from the big man Joao Das Chagas tonight ��
— Indian Hills Basketball (@ihccbasketball) February 1, 2025
➡️ 25 points | 11-12 FG | 1-1 3pt FG
➡️ 23 rebounds | 8 offensive
➡️ 4 blocks@GoHillsTv | #WarriorNation pic.twitter.com/AYCWwyxPsj
Indian Hills used an efficient shooting performance over the final 20 minutes, posting a 60.4 percent shooting clip from the field to outscore Elgin by 47 in the second half. The Warriors finished the night shooting 51.9 percent from the floor and 75.0 percent from the free throw line.
A slow start from the Warriors saw Elgin jump out to an early lead through the early stages of the first half, leading by as many as seven. Walters sparked the Warriors late in the first frame as the sophomore scored 11 of his 20 in the first 20 minutes of play. An and-one from Walters gave Indian Hills a 33-28 advantage before taking a 37-33 lead into the halftime intermission.
Indian Hills regrouped at the break and came out on a mission to start the second half. The Warriors used an 18-0 run to run away from the Spartans. Indian Hills never looked back on its way to the team's second 100+ point effort of the year.
Das Chagas proved to be a difference-maker in the second half as the sophomore scored 21 of his 25 points and grabbed 19 rebounds in the second half alone. The 23 rebounds are the most in a game since Ivan Aurrecoechea grabbed 23 in a game against Northeast Community College on February 28, 2018. Das Chagas' 20-20 game is also the first since Aurrecoechea's 25 points, 23 rebound effort in the same game against Northeast. Das Chagas' performance was aided by an efficient 11-12 night from the floor, including his first three-point shot of the year on his only attempt.
Freshman Vladyslav Semerych (Horishni Plavni, Ukraine/Cherkassy) tallied his first-career double-double in the win Friday night with career-high numbers of 18 points and 14 rebounds, including seven offensive boards. Semerych finished the night 8-9 from the free-throw line to go along with two steals and three blocked shots.
Sophomore Kayden Nation (Peoria, IL/Western Nebraska) added 14 points for the Warriors while Ater Manyuon (Austin, MN/We Are United Prep) tallied 13 points, seven rebounds, and four assists to fill the stat sheet. Freshman Mason Costello (Waukee, IA/Waukee) recorded 12 points and four rebounds in the win.
Next up for the Warriors is a home date with Sauk Valley Community College (IL) at 7:00 PM on February 5 at the Hellyer Center.
Purchase tickets in advance to Wednesday night's contest: INDIAN HILLS VS. SAUK VALLEY
HOW TO WATCH
As always, GoHillsTV provides free live broadcasts of Indian Hills men's basketball games, both home and on the road. Fans can tune in a number of ways all season long:
- Facebook: visit www.facebook.com/gohillstv
- GoHillsTV App: Download the GoHillsTV app on your android or ios device
- Website: https://www.gohillstv.com/browse to catch all live and archived information
- Roku Streaming Device (new): Have a Roku TV or streaming stick? Download the GoHillsTV app to start streaming today!
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