By GARY STALLARD

AC Athletics

            The Angelina College men’s basketball team tipped off its regular season on Saturday.

            For the first 20 minutes, the game looked…well, like the first game of the season.

            The Roadrunners struggled coming out of the gate, but regrouped nicely in the second half to take a 71-59 win over Strength ‘N Motion at Shands Gymnasium in Lufkin.

            AC head coach J.J. Montgomery admitted the win wasn’t “pretty”, but added that he was pleased with the way his ‘Runners came together in the second half.

            While freshman Kai’Ree Murray led the Roadrunners in scoring with 21 points (to go with nine rebounds), guard Patrick Johnson’s all-around effort was the catalyst in the win. Johnson, the sophomore from Compton, California, scored four points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out seven assists for the night. He also added a pair of steals to his stats.

            Cade Holzman added 12 points, and Kyle Morgan, Xavier Owens and Nehikare Igiehon added 10 points each.

            One key stat for the ‘Runners came in the rebounding category – a sore spot for the team the past couple of years, with AC ranking in the nation’s bottom half when it came to boards per game.

            On Saturday, the team put together an all-around assault on the glass, finishing with 49 total rebounds. AC used its offensive rebounds to chart 14 second-half points, and the bench chipped in with 37 of the team’s 71 points.

            The Roadrunners will host the Honor Armour Lions Monday at 5 p.m. at Shands Gymnasium.

            The email address for AC’s Sports Information Director is gstallard@angelina.edu.