Story courtesy of College of Charleston sports information
Charleston Southern 82, College of Charleston 77
Charleston, S.C. -- Mario Williams' two free with 32 seconds remaining broke a 75-75 tie and lifted Charleston Southern to an 82-77 win over the College of Charleston in the season-opener for both schools before 4,026 at the North Charleston Coliseum on Friday.
With the win, Charleston Southern (1-0) breaks a 23-game losing streak to the Cougars dating back to the 1988 season. Charleston (0-1), which held a 37-32 lead at intermission, lost for just the sixth time in 32 games at the Coliseum.
Chris Moore extended CSU's lead to 78-75 with 14 seconds left after hitting one of two free throws. After Drew Hall's layup cut the lead to 78-77 with 2.5 seconds left, Moore hit both ends of an intentional foul and Ferdinand Cain added a dunk at the buzzer for the final margin.
Dwayne Jackson led the Bucs with 16 points, while teammates Trent Drafts and Dwayne Jackson added 13 points each, respectively.
Charleston, which outrebounded CSU 49-34, got a career-best 25 points from Dontaye Draper and 21 points from Josh Jackson. Philip McCandies added a game-high 11 rebounds for the Cougars.
Charleston Southern shot 75.0 from the free throw line hitting 12-of-16, while the Cougars hit just 18-of-32 free throw attempts (56.3%).
The Cougars play host to Lees-McCrae in a 7:00 start on Monday.
Story courtesy of Western Carolina sports information
South Carolina 87, Western Carolina 62
Cullowhee, N.C. ? After a layup by Western Carolina’s David Berghoefer cut WCU’s deficit to six (39-33) with 16:45 left in the game, South Carolina went on an 18-4 run to race out to a 17-point lead and cruise the final 10 minutes for an 87-62 victory Friday night at the Ramsey Activity Center. The game was the season opener for South Carolina (1-0), while the Catamounts fell to 1-3 on the young season.
The game was similar to last year’s meeting between the schools as the Gamecocks went on a 17-0 run midway through the second half in Columbia to open the 2004-05 season with a win.
Tre Kelly led South Carolina’s second-half spurt, scoring nine points over the 18-4 run. Dwayne Day, who only scored two first-half points, drained 4-of-5 of his 3-pointers in the second half, including trey to give the Gamecocks their largest lead of 29 points with 5:20 left to play.
Western, playing its 2005-06 home opener before a crowd of 2,984, hung tough throughout the first half, trailing by five (34-29) at the break. The Catamounts scored first, a jumper by Corey Muirhead, only to have South Carolina’s Tarence Kinsey answer with a 3-pointer. That shot gave the Gamecocks a 3-2 lead, one they would not relinquish the remainder of the game.
However, Western would trail by no more than eight in the first 20 minutes. With 2:15 left before halftime, Antoinio Russell and Kyle Greathouse hit back-to-back 3-pointers for the Cats, trimming their deficit to one. Renaldo Balkman and Kinsey hit three free throws inside the 1:19 to provide the five-point lead at intermission.
Kelley opened the scoring in the second half with a 3-pointer and Russell answered with a pair of free throws. Kinsey and Berghoefer traded layups on the ensuing possessions, setting up South Carolina’s game-deciding, 18-4 run.
South Carolina did not look like a team playing its first game of the season. After Western held its first three opponents to just 3.5 percent shooting, the Gamecocks blistered the nets at a 60.8 percent clip. The percentage was bolstered by USC making 8-of-11 3-point attempts in the second half. The Catamounts, who only made 33.8 percent of their shots in their first three games, improved in its fourth game to shoot 46.5 percent from the field.
In addition to Day’s 18 points, Kelley scored 15, followed by Kinsey’s 14 and Balkman’s 11. Balkman also led USC with six rebounds. For the Catamounts, Russell, who had five rebounds, led all scorers with 19 points, making 6-of-9 shots overall and 3-of-4 from 3-point range. Berghoefer added 12 points and five boards.
Western Carolina will return to action Sunday (Nov. 20), playing the second game of the Two Rivers Shootout. The Cats will face Northern Iowa, which was ranked 17th in Sports Illustrated’s preseason poll and return five starters from its NCAA team a year ago. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 pm (CT), which 7:30 on the east coast, and the game will be broadcast on the Catamount Sports Network.
Story courtesy of Appalachian State sports information
Appalachian State 75, Arkansas-Little Rock 65
BOONE, N.C. -- D.J. Thompson led three Appalachian State University players in double-figures as Appalachian downed Arkansas-Little Rock, 75-65, in the season opener for both teams on Friday night at the Holmes Center.
A raucous crowd of 3,437 saw Thompson, a preseason all-Southern Conference selection, turn in the second-best scoring output of his career with 26 points. Sophomore Jeremy Clayton matched a career high with 16 points and junior Nathan Cranford chipped in with 13 to help pace the Mountaineers.
Arkansas-Little Rock was paced by Rashad Jones-Jenkins’s double-double with 18 points and 10 boards. Jones-Jenkins led a physical UALR rebounding effort that gained a 45-30 advantage in boards and scored 16 in second-chance points.
“That’s as nervous as I’ve ever been before a game in my 10 years here,” said head coach Houston Fancher “It was encouraging to win against a team that rebounded as well as they did. We held them under 40 percent shooting which was critical for us.”
Fancher’s pregame jitters were soon assuaged by Thompson’s play as the junior guard jumped out of the gates with five points and two steals in the first 47 seconds to give ASU an early 5-0 lead.
“We told him [Thompson] to be aggressive,” said Fancher. “The screen and roll was very effective tonight and he’s tough to guard coming off that. He’s a very special player.”
Appalachian went up 9-2 on a Demetrius Scott layup with 17:16 left on the clock. The Trojans battled back to tie the game at 15-15 with 12:09 left on a Lekheythan Malone lone three pointer of the game. Malone finished the evening with 12 points and seven rebounds.
The two teams swapped leads five times before halftime as Thompson was forced to leave the game after picking up his second foul. Freshman Ryann Abraham performed admirably in Thompson’s absence, scoring twice with a steal and assist. ASU reclaimed the lead on a Cranford three pointer and went up five on Tyler Webb’s layup before ending the half with a 36-34 lead.
That would be as close the Trojans would come as the Mountaineers opened the half on a 10-2 run keyed by five points from Clayton to take a commanding 46-36 lead with 16 minutes left in the contest. However, the Mountaineers only hit one of their next eight shots from the field, allowing the lead to erode to four, 51-47, with 10 minutes left.
The Apps quickly regained their shooting touch, putting together an 11-4 run to stretch the lead out to 11 in the next four minutes. From there, ASU kept the Trojans at least six points away, and hit nine of its final 11 free throw shots down the stretch to win its fifth consecutive home opener.
The win is also ASU’s 21st win against a non-conference opponent, eighth straight win at home and improves the team’s all-time record in home openers to 47-9.
The Mountaineers won’t have long to celebrate their victory as they welcome Virginia Commonwealth to the Holmes Center on Monday, November 21 for a 7:30 p.m. tip. The Rams, led by head coach Jeff Capel, are coming off their fourth consecutive season with 18 or more wins and made an appearance in the 2005 NIT.
Story courtesy of Furman sports information
Furman 100, Macalester 58
Greenville, S.C. - Junior Robby Bostain paced six Paladins in double figures with 18 points and freshman Stanley Jones recorded a double-double in his first career game as Furman downed Macalester College in its season opener 100-58 Friday evening in men's basketball action at Timmons Arena.
"It was good to have the chance to play somebody else tonight," said Furman head coach Larry Davis. "We were able to take a look at our team in a game situation and see what we need to work on for the future."
Bostain added five rebounds three assists and three steals to his game-high 18 points while Jones tallied 14 points and a team-high 10 rebounds. Moussa Diagne (11 points), Jadee Jones (15), Alex Opacic (11) and Eric Webb (10) joined Bostain and Stanley Jones in double figures.
Furman raced to a 42-24 halftime advantage behind Bostain's 14 first half points and three thunderous dunks from fellow junior Diagne. The Paladins shot 40% from the field in the opening 20 minutes despite connecting on just 2-of-13 attempts beyond the arc.
Holding a 51-34 lead with 16:09 remaining in the contest, freshman Jadee Jones spurred Furman on to 22-2 run over the next 9:55 to up the Paladin lead to 76-36. Jones accounted for 13 points during the run, including three of Furman's four 3-pointers in the almost 10 minute stretch.
The Paladins made good on a blistering 65% (19-of-29) of their field goal attempts in the second stanza while draining 5-of-10 three-pointers and connecting on 15-of-24 attempts from the free throw stripe.
Furman forced Macalester into 23 turnovers in the game led by Tony Carter's six steals. The Paladins commited just 11 turnovers, including only five in the second half.
Forward Tom Conboy led four Macalester Scots in double figures with 15 points. Brad Liddell kept the Scots close in the opening 20 minutes by convertin 4-of-10 attempts beyond the arc for the contest while totaling 14 points. Brendan Bosman (13) and Andy Stein (10) also reached double digits in the loss.
Furman, 1-0, returns to action Sunday when it visits the Vanderbilt Commodores in a 6:00p.m. EST contest at Memorial Gym in Nashvile, Tenn. Macalester return home to host Wisconsin-Stout on Monday evening in St. Paul, Minn.
Story courtesy of Elon sports information
Elon 78, Southeastern College 42
ELON, N.C. -- Jackson Atoyebi put up 15 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks, Scottie Rice posted 15 points and four assists and Chris Chalko added 10 points and nine rebounds as Elon downed Southeastern, the defending NCCAA-II national champion, 78-42 in men’s basketball Friday night at Alumni Gym.
The Fire (5-3) claimed four early four-point leads at 4-0, 7-3, 9-5 and 11-7 before the Phoenix (1-0) took the game over. Elon closed the first period with a 22-6 run to build a 29-17 halftime lead after a pair of Atoyebi free throws with 35 seconds to play before the intermission.
The Phoenix continued to soar in the second stanza, using a 34-7 run to turn a 42-32 edge with 13:14 remaining into a commanding 76-39 cushion on a jumper by Ola Atoyebi with 1:04 left.
Elon heroes included LeVonn Jordan (10 rebounds), Montell Watson (eight points, five steals, three assists), Brett James (nine points, two blocks) and Brian Waters (eight points, four assists).
Southeastern was led by Israel Galloway (13 points, 11 rebounds, three blocks) and Joey Gunter (eight points, four assists). The Fire was held to 28.1-percent (16-for-57) shooting for the contest, including a 24.0-percent (6-for-25) clip in the first half.
After shooting just 30.3 percent (10-for-33) in the first period, the Phoenix fired 48.6 percent (18-for-37) in the second stanza to finish at 40.0 percent for the game. Elon won the battle of the boards 58-39 and surrendered just 13 turnovers while forcing 23.
Both teams return to action at 7 p.m. Monday as Elon visits Georgia Tech and Southeastern visits High Point.
Story courtesy of Georgia Southern sports information
Kansas State 83, Georgia Southern 58
MANHATTAN, KAN. ? Cartier Martin’s 24 points and 11 rebounds led Kansas State to an 83-58 win over Georgia Southern Friday night at Bramlage Coliseum.
After a quick basket by the Eagles (1-2), Kansas State went on a 7-2 run, giving them the 7-4 lead with 14:47 to play in the half. A jumper by Louis Graham and a free throw by Diogo Salazar tied the game at the 13:40 mark, but a 17-3 Wildcat run put KSU (1-0) up by 14, 24-10 with under nine to play. A pair of made free throws by Graham and Elton Nesbitt cut the Wildcat lead to 13, 32-19, at the 5:32 mark. Kansas State ended the half on an 11-2 spurt, giving them the 43-21 lead at the break.
The Eagles scored the first five points out of halftime but Kansas State answered with a 7-0 run, putting them up 50-26 with 15:29 to play in the game. Georgia Southern put together an 11-2 spurt over the next five minutes, putting them within 17 with under ten minutes on the clock. A pair of free throws by Graham put the Eagles within 14, 67-53, but it was as close as they would get.
Despite shooting 1-of-9 from beyond the 3-point arc, Kansas State shot 50 percent from the field and took advantage of Georgia Southern's foul trouble. The Eagles had three players foul out, and Kansas State made 30- of-38 from the free throw line.
Nesbitt led Georgia Southern with 16 points and six rebounds, while Graham added 11 points. Nesbitt’s 16 points puts him at 1133 in career points, passing Michael Curry for 12th on the all-time list.
Georgia Southern returns to action on Tuesday, Nov. 22, as they host Mercer in the teams’ home opener. The Eagles are hoping to extend their 11-game home winning streak, the 12th longest in the nation.
Story courtesy of The Citadel sports information
Delaware 77, The Citadel 57
Raleigh, NC? Sophomore forward Demetrius Nelson recorded a career-high 15 points in The Citadel’s season opener as Delaware defeated the Bulldogs 77-57 in the Dogs’ first game of the Hispanic College Fund Classic hosted by North Carolina State Friday night at the RBC Center. Delaware’s Zaire Taylor led all scorers with 22.
Delaware held a 38-16 advantage at the end of the first half, but The Citadel rebounded to outscore the Blue Hens 41-39 in the second 20 minutes.
“I was disappointed that we didn’t come out with the fire and intensity I had expected,” commented head coach Pat Dennis. “We didn’t really start fighting until the last 10 minutes.”
The Bulldogs put up 25 points in the last 10 minutes of play, almost doubling what they scored in the entire first half. Nelson recorded 10 of his 15 after the break. Junior Mark Schiavoni made his presence known in the second half as he drained three three-pointers and was a perfect
two-for-two from the charity stripe to be the Cadets’ second top-scorer in his debut since transferring from the Coast Guard Academy last season.
The Blue Hens had three players reach double digits. Taylor registered 22 points as Rulon Washington tallied 16 and Harding Nana grabbed 15 rebounds. Delaware recorded 10 unanswered points in six minutes during the first half.
The last time the Bulldogs dropped their season opener was in 1998 when The Citadel fell 66-58 to Francis Marion. Despite the 77-57 loss tonight, Dennis is optimistic about what he expects from the bench.
“I was encouraged with the guys off the bench tonight,” said Dennis. “They’ll keep getting better.”
The Bulldogs will face ACC power NC State Saturday at 6:00 pm for their second game of the Hispanic College Fund Classic. The Wolfpack is coming off a 91-61 victory over Stetson in their first game of the Classic.