SoCon Men’s Basketball Recaps for January 5, 2008
UNC GREENSBORO 79, GEORGIA SOUTHERN 67
GREENSBORO, N.C. ? The Kevin Oleksiak Victory Tour continued on Saturday. Oleksiak, who has come alive in UNC Greensboro’s now five-game winning streak, celebrated his 100th career game by scoring 22 of his season-high 29 points in the second half to lead the Spartans to a 79-67 win over Georgia Southern in a key Southern Conference men’s basketball match-up at Fleming Gym on Saturday afternoon.
Oleksiak, a senior from Abington, PA, has scored in double-figures in all five games during the winning streak and is now averaging 17.8 points during the streak. He had his previous season-high of 28 points in UNCG’s last outing, an 18-point win over Central Arkansas on Wednesday night. Prior to this five-game winning streak, Oleksiak was averaging just 6.8 points per contest. His scoring average has jumped up to 12.1 after Saturday’s victory.
Sophomore forward Ben Stywall added 16 points and five rebounds for UNCG, giving a big lift with the double-teaming that Kyle Hines saw yet again Saturday. Hines added 15 points and had a season-low three rebounds, but also added three blocks and four steals. He struggled with foul trouble, playing just 29 minutes before fouling out with 3:23 left. It was just the ninth time in 101 career games that Hines has fouled out of a contest.
Louis Graham had 24 points and 10 rebounds, his 26th career double-double, to lead Georgia Southern. Julian Allen chipped in with 17 points and seven rebounds.
UNCG (8-4, 2-1) outscored Georgia Southern 29-13 over a nearly 10-minute span to open the second half, turning a one-point halftime lead into a comfortable double-digit margin. During one stretch of that run, Hines and Oleksiak combined to score 22 straight points to bust open a close game.
Some UNCG foul trouble made things interesting late. After Hines and Pete Brown fouled out with three minutes to play, a quick Georgia Southern spurt cut the Spartan lead to 71-61. But after Oleksiak made 1-of-2 at the free throw line, the Eagles missed three three-point attempts.
Dwayne Johnson made 1-of-2 at the line before Louis Graham knocked down a three on the other end to cut it nine. Again, Johnson made 1-of-2 at the line to make it a 10-point lead with 1:33 to play. Stywall was whistled for his fourth foul with 1:23 to play and Graham knocked down 1-of-2 at the line.
Oleksiak was fouled with 1:12 left and knocked down both to make it 76-65. Graham was fouled again on the Eagles' next possession, this time making both. But again, Oleksiak was fouled and knocked down both free throws to put the game away.
“Our defense was really the key in the second half,” said Oleksiak. “We were able to get some stops and get out in transition. We could get spread out, get some 2-on-1 situations, make an extra pass and get some easy buckets.”
Georgia Southern (9-5, 2-2) couldn’t make a basket at the outset, falling behind early much like it did in a loss at Davidson on Thursday night. The Eagles, which trailed Davidson 21-3 at the outset of its previous game, missed 18 of their first 19 from the floor and UNCG, which started out just 2-for-7 itself, found a rhythm first and opened up a 14-4 lead in the game’s first nine minutes. But Georgia Southern ran off 10 of the next 12 to cut the UNCG lead to 16-14 with just over eight minutes left before the intermission. In fact, after the 1-for-19 open, the Eagles made their next six from the floor.
The Eagles took their first lead of the day with 1:54 left in the half when Fields stole a pass and drove the floor for a lay-up and a 26-25 advantage. But Dwayne Johnson found Kyle Hines on a backdoor cut to give the Spartans right back and then Hines blocked his third shot of the afternoon on the other end of the floor to secure a 27-26 lead at the break.
“I wasn’t really concerned with the way Georgia Southern was shooting the ball,” said UNCG coach Mike Dement, who picked up his 296th career win as a head coach and his 91st at UNCG, one shy of tying Bob McEvoy for most wins at UNCG. “I was more concerned with our rebounding when we went into the locker room. We had some foul trouble going on in our big men and we had to do a better job of hitting the board in the second half.”
The Spartans opened up the second half on a 10-3 run to grab a 37-29 advantage in the early stages of the second half. Hines and Oleksiak combined to score all 10 in the run as Hines extended his double figure scoring streak to 62 straight games ? the longest current in the nation.
A trey by Oleksiak opened the lead up to 11, 42-31, with 14:53 left to play.
In fact, at one point, Hines and Oleksiak combined to score 22 straight points for the Spartans. The streak was broken when Pete Brown knocked down a 12-footer to give UNCG its largest lead to that point, 49-34.
CHATTANOOGA 77, FURMAN 60
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Stephen McDowell tallied 21 points to lead four Chattanooga players in double figures as the Mocs remained unbeaten in Southern Conference play with a 77-60 victory over Furman Saturday afternoon at Timmons Arena.
Chattanooga (10-5, 5-0 SoCon) held Furman to 30.0% shooting from the field in the first half while connecting on 7-of-17 first period treys to open up a 45-34 lead at the intermission. The Mocs built a 43-25 lead with less than two minutes left in the period before Connor Nolte netted seven straight points to help Furman end the half on a 9-2 run.
Bobby Austin and Alex Opacic drained back-to-back threes to trim the lead to 47-40 with 17:41 left, but a pair of Nicchaeus Doaks dunks helped spark a 12-0 run by the Mocs to put the game out of reach.
McDowell made 5-of-14 three-pointers for Chattanooga. Doaks totaled 17 points while Marcus Watts added 10 points and seven rebounds. Matt Gwynne added a game-high 10 rebounds as Chattanooga outrebounded Furman 46-34 and outscored the Paladins 30-14 in the paint.
The Mocs shot 48.2% (27-56) from the field, made 8-of-24 treys and converted 15-of-23 attempts at the foul line. Kevin Bridgewaters led all players with six assists.
Freshman Connor Nolte paced Furman (2-12, 1-4) with a career-high 13 points while grabbing five rebounds. Justin Dehm netted 4-of-9 three-point attempts to finish with 12 points and Alex Opacic chipped in with 11 points. The Paladins shot a season-low 28.8% from the field and made just 9-of-36 three-points. Furman, the SoCon’s leading free throw shooting team, made 17-of-22 at the charity stripe.
COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON 78, ELON 65
CHARLESTON, S.C. ? Dustin Scott scored 20 points and added a career-high 13 rebounds while Jermaine Johnson added 12 points and 10 rebounds leading the College of Charleston to a 78-65 Southern Conference win over Elon before 3,111 at John Kresse Arena on Saturday.
Charleston, which improved to 7-7 overall and 2-2 in league play, travels to Georgia Southern for a 7:30 tipoff on Thursday. Elon, which fell to 6-8 and 4-2, plays host to Davidson at 9:00 on Wednesday.
Charleston raced out of the gates and grabbed a 27-8 lead with 10:23 left in the first half. Elon finished the half on an 18-4 run to cut Charleston’s lead to 31-26 at halftime.
The Cougars opened the second half with a 31-16 run capped by Andrew Goudelock’s 3-pointer to take its largest lead of the game at 62-42 with 9:16 left.
Charleston secured the win by hitting 16-of-20 free throws in the second half. Tony White, Jr., who equaled his career-high with 19 points, hit a career-high 10 free throws in 11 attempts.
Scott, who also had 20 points against South Carolina earlier this season, recorded his second double-double of the season. Johnson posted his seventh double-double in the past nine games. Goudelock added 15 points off the bench.
Elon was paced by Ola Atoyebi who scored 13 points while teammate Brett James added 12. Scott Grable led the Phoenix with nine rebounds.
DAVIDSON 86, WESTERN CAROLINA 73
DAVIDSON, N.C. Jason Richards scored 17 points and dished out nine assists, and Stephen Curry netted 19 points to lead Davidson to an 86-73 men?s basketball victory over Western Carolina Saturday night before a crowd of 4,602 at Belk Arena.
Will Archambault scored a season-high 11 points off the bench for Davidson (6-6, 4-0 SoCon), while Thomas Sander, Max Paulhus Gosselin and Boris Meno each scored nine points.
Michael Porrini led Western Carolina (4-210, 0-4 SoCon) with 14 points, and Jake Robinson added 13. Brandon Giles scored 12 and Negus McKenna had 11.
The Wildcats turned 23 Catamount turnovers into 32 points and held Western Carolina to 42.4 percent shooting from the field, including 37.5 percent in the second half.
Western Carolina took a 19-13 lead on a Giles layup midway through the first half, but the Catamounts aggressive defense took its toll on the visitors as the fouls started to pile up.
Arnold Gore picked up his fourth foul with 5:26 left in the first half after grabbing Meno?s shorts as the center went by. Meno got the bucket and the free throw to give Davidson a 30-22 lead. The advantage grew to 37-22, equaling the largest of the half, on a Stephen Rossiter free throw. All told, the Davidson run was 24-3 over a 5:39 span.
Western Carolina cut the margin to 47-38, but Richards fed Curry for a 30-footer from the top of the circle as the buzzer sounded to give Davidson a 50-38 halftime edge. The Wildcats scored 17 points off 13 Catamount turnovers in the period and shot 50 percent from the floor.
Davidson used an 18-2 run to distance itself midway through the second half. Meno stole a pass at halfcourt and went in alone for the dunk, and Archambault hit a 3-pointer from the wing to cap the rally. The lead grew to as many as 27 points, at 72-45, after a Rossiter layup with 11:56 remaining.
APPALACHIAN STATE 63, THE CITADEL 50
CHARLESTON, S.C. ? Ryann Abraham and Donte Minter combined for 24 points and Appalachian State withstood a late Citadel rally as the Mountaineers held off the Bulldogs, 63-50, in Southern Conference action Saturday afternoon at McAlister Field House.
With the victory, the Mountaineers improve to 7-6 (2-2 SoCon) while the Bulldogs slip to 5-8 (0-4).
While the lead switched hands on four occasions, The Citadel made a run toward the end of the game when Zack Urbanus connected with a long three-pointer with 1:32 left making the score 60-50, but it would be a little too late as the Mountaineers held on for the win.
Tyrell McDowell paced the Bulldogs offensively leading all scorers with 15 points and was aided by Zach Urabanus’ 12 tallies. Appalachian State controlled the boards on the night, 43-34, with Minter collecting a game-high 13 caroms. The Citadel was led by McDowell’s eight boards.
The Bulldogs used a 7-2 exchange to obtain their largest lead of the game at 10-4 at the 16:24 mark when McDowell connected on a three-pointer, his first of two in the game. Two minutes would pass before Abraham knocked down a three-pointer for the Mountaineers, making the score 10-7. The Citadel would hold the lead for most of the first-half, but with the score locked at 26, the Mountaineers would turn the tide to take the lead at 4:53 on a Minter layup to take the lead, 28-26, and then followed with a 10-2 run to make the halftime score, 36-28.
Coming out of halftime, Appalachian State added to their lead with two quick baskets by Jeremy Clayton and Eduardo Bermudez, but the Bulldogs responded with a big three-pointer by Cameron Wells to keep the game close at 41-31.
The Mountaineers enjoyed their biggest lead in the second half at 57-37 when Doug McLaughlin-Williams connected on a three-pointer with 8:16 remaining.
“We didn’t find our rhythm but still had good looks that just wouldn’t fall,” said Citadel coach Ed Conroy. “Our young guys are going to make mistakes, but are continuing to gain confidence each time out. I credit Appalachian State in finding a way to win, as they came out strong in the second half and made some big shots down the stretch.”
The Mountaineers’ defense limited The Citadel to a dismal 29.3 percent shooting from the floor while ASU finished at 44.2 percent.
WOFFORD 81, WEST VIRGINIA WESLEYAN 61
SPARTANBURG, S.C. ? The Wofford College men’s basketball team picked up an 81-61 win over West Virginia Wesleyan on Saturday afternoon at Benjamin Johnson Arena. Wofford led by eleven at the half and used a 7-0 run to start the second half to eventually extend the lead to 26 points.
The Terriers are 8-5 overall and 1-2 in SoCon play. West Virginia Wesleyan is 3-6 overall and 1-1 in conference play. The Terriers were led by Shane Nichols with 14 points and Terry Martin and Drew Gibson each added 13 points. Noah Dahlman and Terry Martin each had six rebounds for Wofford. West Virginia Wesleyan was led by Justin Caldwell with a game-high 22 points and Jerel Thomas with six rebounds.
“We played well against a pretty good team,” said Wofford head coach Mike Young. “We will take the win and move on. West Virginia Wesleyan is in a very good conference and they are going to win some games this season. We have 17 conference games left on the schedule, and we have two of those big ones coming up next week. It would be great to have nice crowds for those key games at Johnson Arena.”
The Terriers scored first on a basket by Terry Martin, but the Bobcats took a 4-2 lead with shots by Chris Smith and Steve Nichols. The Terriers then went on an 8-0 run to take a 10-4 lead at 15:03. At the mid-point of the first half, Wofford had a 22-11 lead after a lay-up by Shane Nichols.
A shot by Ryan Hoehner for West Virginia Wesleyan cut the lead to eight at 27-19 with 6:10 left in the first half. Back-to-back three pointers by Shane Nichols increased the lead by to twelve at 36-24, but Jared Chafin answered for the Bobcats with a three as well. Corey Godzinski scored for Wofford with 52 seconds left to give the Terriers a 38-27 lead at the half.
Wofford began the second half with a 7-0 run. The run ended with a basket and free throw by Justin Caldwell. Mike Young picked up a technical foul, and after two free throws by Caldwell, the Terriers lead was 45-32. Wofford gradually increased the lead to 21 points after a lay-up Noah Dahlman at 12:35 in the second half for a 55-34 score.
The Terriers kept the lead near twenty points for the remainder of the second half. A three-pointer by Marcus Jackson with 2:30 left in the game gave the Terriers a 79-53 lead, the largest of the game. Steve Nichols matched the three for a 79-56 score with 1:24 remaining. After a dunk by Corey Godzinski, the Bobcats scored the last five points of the game in the final 29 seconds for the 81-61 final score.
All thirteen players saw action for the Terriers and eleven had points in the game. Drew Gibson had six steals, tying a career-game high. Wofford shot 54.0% from the floor and were 45.0% from three-point. The Bobcats were 46.8% from the floor and 42.1% from behind the arc. Wofford out-rebounded the Bobcats 33-21 marking the ninth time in twelve games the Terriers have out-rebounded an opponent.
The game was the final non-conference contest of the season for the Terriers. Wofford will play the third of four straight home games on Thursday, January 10 when Appalachian State will play at Benjamin Johnson Arena at 7:00 pm. The Terriers will close the home stand with a visit from Davidson College on Saturday, January 12 at 7:00 pm.