CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – No. 3 Parkland men's basketball won its 11^th straight game to open the 2018-19 season, defeating visiting Morton by a score of 71-49. Sparked by a 12-2 run midway through the first half, the Cobras recorded their fifth victory by more than 20 points behind double digit scoring from Bruno Williams Jr. (14), Charles Campbell Jr. (13), Ty'Ohn Trimble (11) and Yaakema Rose Jr. (11).
 
One of nine teams left in Division II with an unblemished record, Parkland extended its streak with a defensive effort that allowed a season-low 49 points. Holding Morton to just 37.3 percent from the field, the Cobras were especially stingy on the three-point line, as the Panthers missed all nine of their first-half attempts and shot just 22.2 percent from beyond the arc for the game. In addition to closing out on shooters, Parkland also forced 16 Morton turnovers, converting them into 15 points, outrebounded the Panthers by seven and blocked six shots.
 
Offensively, Parkland shot 50 percent from the field with 16 assists on 27 made shots. Leading the efficiency were the Cobras' starting guards, as Ty'Ohn Trimble (5-7), Charles Campebll Jr. (5-8) and Yaakema Rose Jr. (5-8) each made more than half of their attempts. In the front court, Bruno Williams Jr. scored a team-high 14 points, including six from the free-throw line, while also grabbing six rebounds to tie Joey Saracco for the team lead.
 
After Morton scored the first bucket of the game to take its only lead of the contest, Parkland responded with an 11-2 run over the next five minutes with both Trimble and Rose Jr. hitting two shots. However, two quick fouls by Rose Jr. and a 5-0 run by the Panthers cut the lead back to four, 11-7.
 
Playing without their starting point guard for most of the remaining 11 minutes, Trimble orchestrated the offense to a 12-2 run, including a 7-0 spurt, ignited by a pair of free throws and two three-pointers from Williams Jr. Leading by 14 off the second trey from Williams Jr., the Cobras maintained the double-digit into the locker room, 35-21, with Williams Jr. and Trimble leading the team with nine points and three assists from Campbell Jr.
 
Another double-digit scoring run carried the momentum out of the locker room and into the second half, as a lay-up-three-point combo by Charles Campbell Jr. blitzed the Panthers for five unanswered points in the first minute of the second half. A Jaden Coleman layup with 16:28 remaining pushed the lead past 20 points for the first time, and then two more free throws by Coleman five minutes later regained the 20-point lead for good. Outscoring the Panthers by eight, 36-28, in the second half, the Cobras shot 48.1 percent from the field and reached its largest lead of 29 points with 4:24 remaining.
 
Winners of 11 straight, Parkland is outscoring its opponents by an average of 19.3 points per game. Sparking the hot start is stifling defense that is allowing just 65.4 points-per-game – sixth best in NJCAA DII – and is holding opponents to 41.2 percent shooting from the field, which ranks among the top-30 nationally. Offensively, Parkland is hitting 49.1 percent of their shots – 20^th in NJCAA DII – and only committing 10.0 turnovers per game to rank sixth in the country.
 
Up next, Parkland men's basketball will conclude the 2018 portion of its schedule with a trip to West Burlington, Iowa for a Monday, December 17, clash with Southeastern (IA) at 7 p.m. central time.