Story courtesy of College of Charleston sports information
College of Charleston 64, Appalachian State 53
Charleston, S.C. -- The College of Charleston used a tremendous defense effort and 26 points from Dontaye Draper in a 64-53 win over Appalachian State in Southern Conference basketball action before 2,888 at John Kresse Arena on Monday.
Charleston improved to 13-7 overall and 6-3 in league play with its season-high four consecutive win. The Mountaineers fell to 9-12 and 3-5. The Cougars also held their fourth consecutive league opponent to under 60 points, the first time in the school's eight years in the Southern Conference.
Draper had 10 first half points as the Cougars took a 27-22 lead at intermission. Draper finished the game 9-for-14 from the field and 6-of-8 from the free throw line. Draper was 7-for-7 from the field inside the 3-point arc.
Charleston's David Lawrence added 10 points, three blocks and four steals, while teammate Jermaine Johnson had nine points and a game-high eight rebounds.
ASU got 14 points from D.J. Thompson and 10 points from Jeremy Clayton. Clayton added a team-best seven rebounds.
For the game, Charleston shot 43.1 percent from the floor hitting 22-of-51 attempts. ASU shot just 33.3 percent connecting on 18-of-54. The Cougars shot 77.3 percent from the free throw line (17-22), including 83.3 percent in the second half (15-18). CofC held a slight 38-33 edge in rebounding despite losing the battle on the offensive glass 16-14.
Appalachian State plays host to Wofford at 7:00 on Thursday, Feb. 2nd. The Cougars play at Elon on Monday, Feb. 6th at 7:00.
Story courtesy of Western Carolina sports information
Western Carolina 85, Furman 76
Cullowhee, N.C. ? Western Carolina sophomore Negus McKenna sank 7-of-9 of his 3-pointers en route to a career-high 24 points, while Antonio Russell and Trey Hopkins combined to make all eight of their free throw attempts inside the final 42 seconds as the Catamounts held on for an 85-76 victory over Furman Monday night at the Ramsey Activity Center.
McKenna who scored 13 of his 24 in the second half, added seven rebounds. Russell, Western’s leading scorer on the season, snapped a six-game slump or sorts to score 18 points, tying his career high with eight rebounds. Corey Muirhead, who was 0-of-6 from the field in his last game, came back to make 7-of-8 shots from the field to score 16 points with four assists and three steals. David Berghoefer added his second consecutive double-double (fourth of the season and 22nd of his career) getting 10 points and 12 rebounds with three steals.
Three Paladins finished in double figures, including Eric Webb (21 points), Robby Bostain (17 points) and Moussa Diagne (12 points).
Western (10-13 overall, 4-4 in the Southern Conference) took early control in the game thanks to a 20-3 run midway through the first half to stake a 17-point (34-17) advantage with 8:42 left before the break. During the run, McKenna drained three 3-pointers, Eric Wilson hit one, Russell scored four, Hopkins scored two and Muirhead scored four, highlighted by an impressive fast break dunk.
The Catamounts would push its lead to 18 (42-24) after a Russell jumper with 4:21 left before the break. However, the Paladins (12-8, 5-3) battled back with a 12-2 run, capped by a Webb 3-pointer, to trail by just eight (44-36) with 1:47 remaining in the first half. Berghoefer answered with a layup before Bostain hit two free throws to provide the 46-38 halftime score.
Furman built on that momentum to start the second half and, after a Diagne dunk at the 15:24 mark, trailed by only two (54-52). Neither team scored over the next two minutes until McKenna sank a 3-pointer. However, the Catamounts were held scoreless over the next three minutes and Furman claimed a 61-57 advantage thanks to three points from Gerad Punch, five points from Stanley Jones and a free throw from Webb.
Muirhead made it a two-point game once again and the score remained tight over the next six minutes. In fact the game featured three lead changes and two ties. With the score knotted at 70-70 after a Diagne layup at the 4:23 mark, Berghoefer made 1-of-2 at the free throw line to give the Cats a 71-70 advantage, a lead it would not surrender the remainder of the game. After Furman missed on the ensuing possession, McKenna turned WCU’s one-point lead into a four-point cushion with his seventh trey on the night.
With just over a minute left in the game, Furman’s George Brozos was forced to take a 3-pointer as the shot clock was running out. Berghoefer grabbed the long rebound and found Hopkins for a fast break layup. From that point, Russell made all six of his free throw attempts inside the final 42 seconds, while Hopkins hit both of his from the charity stripe.
Western Carolina bounced back from a lackluster performance on Saturday at Wofford, where it only shot 29.2 percent from the field and was out-rebounded 50-41, to shoot 50.9 percent from the field Monday, including 41.4 from 3-point range, while out-rebounding the Paladins 38-27. Also contributing to the win was the fact that the Catamounts had a season-low nine turnovers in the contest.
Western Carolina will return to action Saturday (Feb. 4) at SoCon South Division leader Davidson. Tipoff is set for 1:00 pm at Belk Arena. In addition to the game being broadcast on the Catamount Sports Network, fans can listen to Davidson’s broadcast on Sirius Satellite Radio on Channel 117. Furman will also return to action Saturday, playing at UNC Greensboro at 7:00 pm.
Story courtesy of Wofford sports information
Wofford 84, UNC Greensboro 78 (2OT)
SPARTANBURG, SC ? Shane Nichols and Tyler Berg each scored 18 points to lead Wofford to an 84-78 win in double overtime over UNC Greensboro Monday night at the Benjamin Johnson Arena.
The Terriers and Spartans were about as dead-even as possible on this night. The game was tied at 29 at the half, at 64 at the end of regulation and at 72 after the first overtime.
Three Wofford (8-13, 3-5) players recorded double-doubles as Berg had 14 rebounds along with his 18 points; Howard Wilkerson collected 14 points and 10 rebounds, and point guard Drew Gibson had 10 points and 12 assists while committing just one turnover.
UNCG (10-12, 3-5) was led by Ricky Hickman and Kyle Hines, who each scored 27 points. Hines added a team-high 10 rebounds for his eighth double-double of the season.
Wofford won its second straight Southern Conference game. The Spartans dropped their sixth straight road game.
Gibson stole a pass from UNCG on its first possession of the second overtime and then hit a three-point field goal to give the Terriers at 75-72 lead. Hickman answered with a long three to tie the game with 3:19 remaining. Berg missed a shot inside but was able to grab his own rebound and put it back to put Wofford ahead 77-75 with 1:51 left.
UNCG’s Dwayne Johnson missed a three-pointer with 1:29 to play and Byron Fields grabbed the rebound. Nichols hit a pair of free throws with 1:17 remaining to give Wofford a 79-75 advantage. Hickman missed a three with 49.5 seconds left and Gibson grabbed the rebound and was fouled. He hit one free throw to give the Terriers an 80-75 edge. Gibson added two more free throws with 24 seconds to play for an 82-75 Wofford lead. After UNCG’s Kevin Oleksiak hit a three to cut the lead to four at 82-78, Gibson added a pair of free throws with 12 seconds remaining to account for the final score.
The overtime periods added to what was a thrilling game almost from the opening tip. There were 10 ties and 10 lead changes in the contest. Neither team held more than a four point advantage in the first half.
UNCG jumped to a six point lead early in the second half on a pair of field goals by Hines and two free throws by Hickman. The Spartans would extend their lead to as many as 10 points, the last at 52-42 with 9:38 to play. Wofford then went on a 19-9 run to tie the game at 61 on a Berg basket with 51 seconds to play in regulation. Oleksiak drained a three with 18 seconds left to put UNCG ahead 64-61. Wofford forced overtime on a long three by Nichols with just four seconds left on the clock.
UNCG held a 72-70 lead late in the first overtime period before Fields hit a baseline jumper with three ticks left to force a second extra period.
Wofford will travel to Appalachian State on Thursday night while UNCG will host Furman on Saturday.
Chattanooga 74, The Citadel 64 (OT)
Charleston, S.C. - The cadets were ready to rush the floor and the noise level in McAlister Field House reached a new season high Monday night as the Bulldogs took on Chattanooga for their second home appearance in three days. With Donny McLendon leading the way, The Citadel gave it all they had, only to be defeated by the Mocs in overtime, 74-64.
"It's one of the toughest things to go through, to play hard for 40 minutes and then to lose it all at the end," said senior forward Matt Davis, who ended the night with six points, tying a career high of six rebounds. "That type of loss just rips your heart out."
The Bulldogs, who just came off a one-point loss to Appalachian State at home on Saturday, kicked-off action Monday night with one thing on their mind, winning. McLendon started the scoring drive for The Citadel with a three-point basket at the 17:12 mark after being down 6-0. Less than a minute later he made a steal, laying it up for two more at 16:51. Still unable to gain the lead, the Bulldogs' performance from behind the arc, the best this season in conference play, kept them in the game, giving them the lead for the first time at the 14:37 mark with a three-point basket by Davis. The Citadel held on to the lead, going into halftime up, 33-30, for the second consecutive game.
Hitting 12-of-28 shots in the first half, shooting 42.9 percent, the Bulldogs netted eight from behind the arc for 50 percent from three-point range. They ended the game with 12 from long range, the second highest this season and the best performance in conference action. Chattanooga, however, shot 50 percent from the field and 60 percent from long range, hitting 3-5 shots from behind the arc in the first half.
Returning from halftime, the Bulldogs continued to hold on to the lead until the 15:32 mark, when two free throws by Chattanooga's Ricky Hood gave the Mocs a one-point lead. The Citadel regained the lead at 12:61 when a second effort by junior forward J'mel Everhart resulted in a lay-up, putting the Bulldogs ahead, 44-43. Junior forward Joseph Thompson extended The Citadel lead to nine points when he hit a three-point basket after a missed jumper by Hood.
However, Hood followed with two good jumpers, bringing The Citadel lead down to five, before Steve Cherry, who scored a career high 15 points, put it up for two points making the score 56-53 with 4:38 remaining in the game. After a turnover and two missed jumpers by McLendon, Mocs' Casey Long added another two points before Jerice Crouch tied it up 56-56 with a free throw at 2:41. Another jumper by Crouch and two free throws by Hood put the Mocs up 60-57 with 16 seconds left in the game.
Still in the hunt, Davis, who was 2-2 from long range, got off a shot that bounced off the rim and into the hands of Joseph for the rebound. Joseph kicked it out to Terry who attempted at one last chance to tie the game. Terry's shot from behind the arc was good with six seconds left in the game, sending the teams into overtime.
The Bulldogs, however, lost their steam in the five-minute period. Cherry hit two three-point baskets, recording a career high of three from long range, to lead the Mocs in their 10-point overtime defeat of the Bulldogs.
"We couldn't drive by people and that hurt us late in the game," said The Citadel Head Coach Pat Dennis. "Their guards were able to drive by people and that made the difference in the game."
The Citadel ended the night shooting 40.0 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from long range, only hitting four-of-12 free throws. Leading the Bulldogs in scoring was McLendon, who tied his season high from long range with five, ending the night with 20 points and two steals. Terry contributed 14 points and five steals, including three from behind the arc, while Everhart totaled eight points and nine boards.
"We're getting better. We got this one into overtime," Dennis said. "In the second half we just didn't shoot as well. When it's a tight game like that, it's hard to penetrate on every possession. Our post guys got real tired and it's difficult to come back and play after having a game like that on Saturday."
The Citadel basketball will be traveling to Elon, N.C. this weekend to take on the Phoenix on Saturday, Feb. 4 at 7 p.m., before returning home for non-conference action against Savannah State on Tuesday, Feb. 7 at McAlister Field House.
Story courtesy of Georgia Southern sports information
Georgia Southern 63, Elon 45
STATESBORO, Ga. ? Georgia Southern allowed just 12 points in the second half to easily defeat SoCon leading Elon 63-45 Monday night at Hanner Fieldhouse. The 12 points scored by the Phoenix ties a school record for fewest points allowed in a half.
Georgia Southern (14-7, 5-3 SoCon) jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead on a Louis Graham one-handed dunk at the 18:20 mark in the game. The Eagles held Elon (10-11, 6-2 SoCon) scoreless for the first two and a half minutes of the game, forcing three quick Phoenix turnovers. The game went back and forth over the next four minutesA Will Dunn put back at the 7:25 mark put the Eagles back on top 20-19. A pair of free throws by Elon’s Jackson Atoyebi gave Elon the 21-20 lead. A Brian Waters gave the Phoenix a three point lead, but a Nesbitt trey at the 5:40 mark tied the game for the fifth time at 23-23. A fast break layup by LeVonn Jordan gave Elon the 33-27 lead with less than a minute to play.
Nesbitt led all scorers with 10 at the break. Colin Wyatt and Brett Waters led the Phoenix with seven points each. Georgia Southern shot 31.4 percent from the field and just 50 percent from the charity stripe. Elon shot 43.3 percent from the field and 87.5 percent from the free throw line.
Nesbitt got things started for the Eagles in the second half, swiping a pass from the Phoenix and finishing with an easy layup, cutting the Phoenix lead to 33-29. A Sean Olivier three point play at the 15:24 mark tied the game for the sixth time at 36-36. Nesbitt’s second chance jumper with 14:11 on the clock gave the Eagles the 38-36 lead. A Nesbitt steal led to a Gennie dunk with 13:13 to play, putting the Eagles up by four at 40-36. Georgia Southern outscored Elon 24-5 over the first 11 minutes of the second half, holding the Phoenix without a field goal for over four minutes. A Gennie fast break layup and the foul gave the Eagles their largest lead of the night at 48-38 with 10:29 on the clock. Atoyebi’s layup with 6:15 remaining in the game ended a nine minute drought for the Phoenix from the field, but Dwyane Foreman answered, connecting on his first three pointer of the game to give Georgia Southern the 18 point lead with 4:46 to play. Elon cut the GSU lead to 15 on a three point play by Wyatt, but the Eagles cruised on to the 63-45 win.
Nesbitt led all scorers with 15, while Gennie added 11 and Tobias chipped in 10. Graham grabbed 11 rebounds and was a point shy of his second consecutive double-double with nine points. With his two blocks tonight, Graham is now 3rd all-time in career blocks with 88.
Wyatt led the Phoenix with 10 points and seven rebounds. Elon shot 13.8 percent (4-of-29) from the floor in the second half, and just 44.4 percent (4-of-9) from the free throw line.
The Eagles travel this weekend to face North Division foe Chattanooga. Tip-off is set for 2:00 p.m. and will be broadcast on Fox Sports Net South. The game will also be broadcast on 106.5 FM and 107.3 FM in Statesboro, with the pre-game show with Georgia Southern play-by-play announcer Ricky Ray and color analyst Frank Kerns beginning at 1:45 p.m.