Blue Mountain, Miss.- The Blue Mountain Christian University men's basketball team opened its 2026-27 season in impressive fashion Thursday evening, defeating Rust College 100-81 inside Tyler Gym. The Toppers had five players finish in double figures as they secured their first victory of the season.
Esrael Yant led the offensive charge for BMCU, coming off the bench to score a team-high 23 points. Yant shot 7-of-11 from the field and 8-of-10 from the free-throw line while adding three steals and a block.
Seck Zongo recorded a double-double with 18 points and a game-high 11 rebounds, shooting 7-of-13 from the field.
Jeremiah Hayes added 14 points, while
KJ Anderson contributed 13 points, including three three-pointers.
Luka Goshadze rounded out the double-digit scorers with 11 points and seven rebounds.
The Toppers established control early in the contest, putting together a strong offensive first half. BMCU shot 48.7 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes, scoring 49 points while holding Rust to 37.
The 12-point advantage gave the Toppers momentum heading into halftime.
Blue Mountain Christian continued its offensive success in the second half, improving its shooting percentage to 60 percent from the field.
The Toppers added another 51 points after the break, extending their lead to as many as 21 points before securing the 19-point victory.
BMCU's offensive efficiency played a major role in the win, as the Toppers finished shooting 53.6 percent from the field. Blue Mountain Christian controlled the interior with 52 points in the paint and capitalized on Rust's mistakes, scoring 25 points off turnovers.
The Toppers also received significant production from their bench, which accounted for 45 points. Along with Yant's 23-point performance and Goshadze's 11 points,
Jonathan Baker contributed seven points, while
RJ Robinson and
Gvidas Bendorius added two points each.
Zane Tipler helped facilitate the offense with a team-high seven assists and three steals. BMCU finished with 15 assists and eight steals as a team.
With the victory, the Toppers begin the 2026-27 campaign with a 1-0 record, looking to build on their strong offensive showing as the season continues.
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