The Cougars can’t rest for Thanksgiving yet as they are slated to play in the Gulf Coast Showcase. | Reagan Earnst/The Cougar
While students are packing to return home for Thanksgiving Break, the Cougar men’s basketball team is preparing to compete in the Gulf Coast Showcase.
The eight-team tournament is held annually in Estero, Florida and features both the men’s and women’s brackets. The Gulf Coast Showcase spans three days, with the championship game at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Men’s basketball is slated to play their opening game 5 p.m. Monday against the George Mason University Patriots.
GMU enters the game and the tournament with a 1-2 record and fresh off a 78-76 loss to Mount St. Mary’s University last week. Even so, the Patriots proved that they have offensive stalwarts in senior forward Jalen Jenkins and senior guard Marquise Moore.
In the loss to Mount St. Mary’s, Jenkins scored 23 points on 11-for-14 from the field. Moore filled the stat sheet by adding 19 points, 13 rebounds and four assists.
Jenkins leads the Patriots with 17.3 points and 9.7 rebounds per game.
The Cougars enter the Monday matchup with a 1-0 record after beating the Morgan State University Bears last week. After their first victory of the season, the team returned to exhibition play with a win over Angelo State University.
In the exhibition game, senior guard Damyean Dotson led all Cougar scorers with 20 points while junior Rob Gray added 15 of his own.
A win against the Patriots will give the Cougars a 2-0 start for the eighth consecutive season.
