The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

NCAA Division I basketball opened conference play for most programmes and several Bahamian student athletes were back on the court with standout performances, highlighted by Kai Jones and an historic win for his Texas Longhorns.

Jones scored 12 points and grabbed five rebounds and the No.8 Longhorns defeated the No.3 Kansas Jayhawks 84-59 Saturday at Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas.

Jones reached double figures in scoring for the fourth time this year after recording two double figure games as a freshman last season.

He scored all 12 points in 13 minutes of the first half on 4-5 shooting and tied his career high in three-pointers made (2-3).

Texas earned a win against its highest-ranked AP opponent since 2016 and it also marked the worst loss of the tenure for Hall of Fame head coach Bill Self at Kansas. Texas scored the opening four points of the game, took a 10-2 lead and led wire-to-wire. Jones’ 12 points led to a 37-29 halftime advantage.

Texas is 8-1 on the season, 2-0 in the Big 12 and Jones has averaged 9.1 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.

Annya Moss continues to take on a larger role off the bench for the Mississippi Valley State University Devillettes as the team opened Southwestern Athletic Conference play.

Moss finished with 26 points and 11 rebounds - both career highs - in the Devillettes’ 85-70 loss to Arkansas-Pine Bluff Saturday afternoon inside the H.O. Clemmons Arena in Pine Bluff, Arkansas.

She also added three assists, two steals and one blocked shot in a season high 33 minutes.

Moss shot 10-18 from the field (2-9 from three) and was a perfect 4-4- from the line. In her first season with the programme, she is averaging 13 points and 4.4 rebounds per game and MSVU is 2-3 on the season.

The sharpshooting guard was recruited to MSVU by head coach Ashley Walker-Johnson after a successful two year stint at McLennan Community College.

“High energy, high motor guard that can put the ball on the floor as well as shoot it from deep,” Walker-Johnson said.

“Moss’s quick and savvy ball play will help us to play at a faster pace and will allow for exciting transition basketball. Annya’s activity level also gives her the ability to do the things that don’t show up in the stats.”

Radshad Davis posted his second double double of the season for the FIU Panthers, but with a loss they fell to 1-1 in Conference-USA play.

Davis finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds as the Panthers closed out its Conference USA series with Old Dominion at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center on Saturday afternoon. The Panthers fell to the Monarchs 71-66 to move to 1-1 in conference play.

FIU dropped to 7-3 for the year while ODU improved to 5-3 this season and 1-1 in league play.

Davis is averaging 13.1 points and 6.4 rebounds per game this season.