Atherton,CA-In their final game before Winter Break, Menlo Men's Basketball put together one of their most dominant efforts of the season so far. It was a wire to wire victory for the Oaks who jumped out to an 11-0 lead and never looked back. Forward Nick High would score the first nine points of the game but this was an outing in which head coach Brendan Rooney's entire roster provided highlight plays and filled the boxscore. 

Tis the Season for Sharing the Ball

Tonight's 105 points marked the second highest scoring game of the year and second time the team has eclipsed 100 points this season. The best part of this offensive showcase was the way in which the team shared the ball with great passing, patience and trust in their offensive schemes. Their 24 assists is now the third game in a row that the Oaks posted 20 or more assists. Five players handed out at least three assists with starting point guard Braydon Iuli leading the way with seven assists and zero turnovers. Iuli is up to seven games with five or more assists and now boasts a per game average of 4.8 per game.

All the Oaks Shine

It's difficult to pick a single player to highlight on an evening where the entire team submitted strong efforts throughout the game. Guard Riley Robinson was the perfect encapsulation of the team's hot hand. Robinson was arguably the most efficient and explosive player on offensive for the Oaks. In just 12 minutes of action he scored 14 points while shooting close to 67% from the field.

While talking about offense, the trio of Nick High, Landon Seaman and Patrick Ryan also deserve mention. All three players also scored in double figures with a variety of jumpshots, dunks, post moves and offensive rebounds. As mentioned before High set the tone with his nine point outburst to start the game. As has become the norm for the 6'6 forward, he threw down a pair of dunks to go along with two made threes. High also dished out three assists and secured three steals.

Patrick Ryan has made his return to form from injury and looked like his usual "swiss army knife" like self. In 22 minutes he scored 16 points, grabbed five rebounds and also had four assists. As usual, many of Ryan's points came thanks to his work on the offensive glass and ability to finish around the rim with both his left and right hands. 

Landon Seaman has continued his dominant showings through the Oaks non-conference schedule. It only took Seaman 22 minutes to add 22 points and 11 rebounds to his impressive resume. With another 10-14 shooting display Seaman is now up to an impressive 66% from the floor to go with 7.8 rebounds per game as well.

While Menlo had no issue putting points on the board, the team was also dominant on the boards for the entire 40 minutes of play. As a team they grabbed a season high 55 rebounds, 20 of which were on the offensive end of the floor. As mentioned earlier, Seaman secured 11 of his own but the duo of Kareem Rowe and Gavin Cox simply physically dominated the Pioneers on the glass. 

Rowe brings a level of physicality to coach Rooney's rotation that is most evident on the defensive side of the ball. Rowe played in 14 minutes but still managed to grab a game high 14 rebounds, five of which were of the offensive variety. He also played outstanding defense throughout the night on one of Pacific Union's top players in their starting center, Shemarr Parker.

Lastly, freshman Gavin Cox has become something of a fan favorite among his teammates due to his sheer effort and willingness to sacrifice his body to make the right play. Cox only saw 10 minutes of playing time but managed to grab seven rebounds while also blocking a shot. His willingness to constantly provide a second or even third effort when rebounding or diving for loose balls is exactly the type of play that endears a player to fans and teammates alike.

Up Next…

Riding an eight game win streak, the Oaks head into their Winter Break with an 11-1 record. Over their last three games the team has begun to find its form on both sides of the ball. With one final non-conference game on the schedule, Menlo will be hosting UC Merced on December 30th in an effort to begin conference play 12-1. The matchup with the Bobcats should be a highly anticipated one as the teams met earlier this season in what turned out to be an instant classic. The Oaks managed to secure the win in double overtime thanks to the late game heroics of Nick High's game winning shot at the buzzer.