Wofford 60, Georgia 57

ATHENS, Ga. - After going to overtime last year, the Wofford College men's basketball team defeated Georgia 60-57 at Stegeman Coliseum on Tuesday night. The Terriers built an eleven point lead in the first half, but needed two free throws by Cameron Rundles with three seconds left to seal the win.

Wofford is 1-1 overall, while Georgia is also 1-1. The Terriers were led by Corey Godzinski with 13 points and Jason Dawson with 12 points. Corey Godzinski and Jamar Diggs eaqch had six rebounds to lead the team. Georgia was led by Travis Leslie with 17 points and Trey Thompkins with 14 points and 16 rebounds.

"I was thinking with three seconds left in the game what am I doing wrong that we have a team at Stegeman Coliseum and we are going to overtime for the third straight time," said head coach Mike Young. "It wasn't pretty and I did not think we played as well as on Friday. We came into an SEC venue and won, and there is nothing wrong with that. I have a lot of respect for Coach Fox and what he is trying to do here. He is laying a foundation. We have a lot of older guys that have been through it and were in the same situation Friday night in Pittsburgh. We made just enough plays down the stretch to win."

In the second half, Georgia was able to take a 34-33 lead after a basket by Travis Leslie at 16:04. Wofford answered with a pair of three pointers by Corey Godzinski for a 39-36 lead at 14:37 in the second half. Five straight points by Jason Dawson gave Wofford a six point advantage at 46-40 two minutes later.

Wofford kept the lead at five points with a basket from Cameron Rundles at 7:28, but the Bulldogs responded and cut the lead to one at 50-49. Jason Dawson hit a three to make it a four point game with 5:24 left at 53-49. Jamar Diggs hit a pair of free throws with 1:08 remaining to go up 58-53.

Georgia's Travis Leslie hit a three with 17 seconds left to cut the lead to 58-56. Wofford was called for a five-second call on getting the ball in, giving it back to the Bulldogs. A jump ball was called on a shot by Trey Thompkins that was tied up on a block by Noah Dahlman to give the Terriers the ball with twelve seconds. Jamar Diggs missed the front end of a one-and-one with eleven seconds left. At the other end of the court with 6.3 on the clock, Dustin Ware hit the first to make it a one point lead, but missed the second and Wofford got the rebound. Cameron Rundles hit two free throws with three seconds left for a 60-57 lead. Georgia's last second three attempt was missed and after the buzzer.

Wofford shot 38.2% from the floor and 35.3% from three. The Terriers were 85.7% from the line. The Bulldogs shot 40.0% from the floor and 14.3% from behind the arc. Georgia was 55.0% from the free throw line. Georgia led rebounding 39 to 37. 

The Terriers return home on Thursday, November 19 at 7:00 pm to host Lees-McRae before a four-game road trip to Bradley, Illinois and Las Vegas to face Southern and Seattle. Wofford will then play two more road games before hosting Appalachian State at Benjamin Johnson Arena on December 7.

College of Charleston 69, Winthrop 57

CHARLESTON, S.C. --  Andrew Goudelock scored 18 points and Jeremy Simmons added 14 points and nine rebounds as College of Charleston downed Winthrop, 69-57, before 3,421 at Carolina First Arena on Tuesday.

Charleston, which plays at East Tennessee State on Nov. 25, improved to 1-1 on the season.  Winthrop fell to 1-1.  The Cougars have won 40 of their last 41 home openers.

After Winthrop closed an 8-point deficit to 59-57 on a dunk by Andre Jones, Goudelock hit a deep 3-pointer from the top of the key with 3:34 left that sparked a 10-0 run by the Cougars to end the game.

The Cougars' defense limited the Eagles to just 35.7 percent shooting from the floor, hitting on just 25-of-70 attempts.  Winthrop was 0-for-13 from 3-point territory. 

Tony White, Jr. finished with 11 points and six rebounds for the Cougars.  Donavan Monroe had seven points and seven boards. Simmons hit 6-of-7 from the field and added a game-high four blocks.

Jones led the Eagles with 11 points, while Matt Morgan added 10 points off the bench.  The Eagles got a game-high 11 rebounds and seven points from Mantoris Robinson.  The Eagles out-rebounded Charleston 41-38, including 20-9 on the offensive glass.

Goudelock and Willis Hall scored seven points each helping the Cougars to a 30-29 lead at intermission.  

The Cougars, who shot 52.4 percent in the second half, hit 47.9 percent of their field goals for the game.  The Cougars connected on 9-of-23 from behind the arc.

Chattanooga 85, East Tennessee State 76

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men's basketball team scored a big 85-76 win over in-state rival East Tennessee State in the McKenzie Arena tonight.  The Mocs (2-0, 0-0 SoCon) locked down on the defensive end in the second half, holding the Bucs (1-1, 0-0 A-Sun) to just one basket from the field for nearly 15-minutes, to improve to 2-0 for the first time since the 2001-02 season.   .

Missing four starters who were out for various reasons, Chattanooga's defense started shaky in the opening minutes of the game.  ETSU scored 16 points in the first four minutes, hitting six of its first seven shots from the field with four layups.  Chattanooga was able to stay in the game, thanks to sophomore Keegan Bell's four first-half three pointers. 

The Mocs capped a 12-3 run on a three-pointer by junior Ridge McKeither to go up 47-42 with 3:16 left in the high-octane period.  That would be the last points of the half for UTC as the Bucs closed with 10 unanswered of their own.  UTC led 47-46 with less than a minute to play, but Sheldon Cooley and Justin Tubbs drained back-to-back three pointers to give ETSU a 52-47 halftime lead. 

As offensively entertaining as the opening half was to the 4,037 fans who came out for "Rock the Roundhouse," the second frame was a completely different defensive battle. 

The Bucs continued to stretch their lead in the opening moments of the second.  Coley's layup with 17:58 left gave ETSU their largest lead at 58-49.  Bell hit back-to-back threes to close the gap to 58-55 and ignite the home crowd with 16:27 on the clock.

The Mocs got into foul trouble in a hurry on the next possession.  McKeither, who had 13 points and five boards in the first half, picked up three fouls in one possession.  He was forced to the bench with four fouls, but the rest of the team stepped up.

Isaiah Brown's dunk with 15:40 left gave ETSU a 60-55 lead, but the Mocs would allow just one basket from the floor for the next 14:52 in the game.  Junior Jeff Smith, one of McKeither's replacements, hit a three and converted an and-one in a 13-2 run that allowed Chattanooga to take control of the game.  Chattanooga forced ETSU into seven turnovers and 0-6 shooting during that run. 

Freshman Josh Odem's three from the near corner put Chattanooga up 75-67 with 4:20 on the clock.  Junior DeAntre Jefferson's thunderous follow-up slam with 2:50 left electrified the arena while keeping the Bucs at bay 77-65.  

After allowing ETSU to shoot 51.4% from the field in the first half, the Mocs' defense held the Bucs to just 32.0% in the last 20 minutes.  ETSU controlled the glass by out rebounding the Mocs 42-35.  However, the Bucs were only able to squeeze eight second chance points out of 16 offensive rebounds. 

ESTU outscored the Mocs 38-26 in the paint, but Chattanooga cashed in 26 points on 19 Bucs' turnovers.  The Mocs bench also outscored their opponent 20-11 tonight. 

Bell led UTC with 23 points on 7-12 shooting, 6-10 from 3-pt. range.  He also tied for game-highs with seven assists.  McKeither finished with 17 points and a team-high nine boards.  Odem had a pair of 3-pointers on his way to 14 points and four steals. 

The Bucs were led by Tommy Hubbard's game-high 26 points and 13 boards.  He went 9-13 from the field and 4-5 from 3-pt. range.  Brown added 13 points and eight boards while Jocolby Davis had 11 points and seven assists.

Furman 68, Presbyterian 64

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Junior Amu Saaka netted a game-high 29 points and Furman overcame a 13-point first half deficit to down Presbyterian College 68-64 before a crowd of 1,108 on Tuesday evening on Carolina First Court at Timmons Arena.
With the victory, Furman improved to 2-0 and recorded back-to-back wins to open the campaign for the first time since the 2006-07 season.  Presbyterian fell to 0-2 on the year.

Saaka, who connected on 11-of-17 field goal attempts and 3-of-5 trips to the foul line to post a career-high 29 points, buried a three-pointer with 1:21 remaining to put the Paladins ahead 64-57.  Khalid Mutakabbir answered with a layup to trim the margin to five points and the Blue Hose regained possession when Jordan Miller committed a player control foul with 49 seconds left.  

Presbyterian's Chase Holmes converted on a layup with 39 seconds to go and completed the three-point play at the foul line to bring PC within 64-62.  Darryl Evans pushed the margin back to three for the Paladins by burying the back end of a two shot foul and Miller made good on 3-of-4 foul shots in the final 12 seconds to seal the victory.

The Blue Hose held Furman to just two field goals over the opening 9:19 of the first half and drained five three-pointers to fashion a 21-8 lead on Ryan Hargrave's second straight trey at the 11:28 mark.  Furman answered with back-to-back treys from Miller and Saaka to end the drought, and the Paladins cut the PC lead down to one point before entering intermission down 33-30.
The Paladins and Blue Hose traded the lead five times in the opening nine minutes of the second half before Furman built its largest lead of the night, 58-50, with 5:17 to play.

Miller made just 1-of-7 field goal attempts on the night, but converted 7-of-11 times at the charity stripe to join Saaka in double figures with 10 points.  Saaka added a game-high eight rebounds while Miller totaled four rebounds and four assists.  Evans chipped in with eight points and three assists for the Paladins who shot 40.0% (22-55) from the floor and 63.0% (17-27) at the foul line. Furman was 7-for-21 from three-point range.

Holmes tallied 19 points on 7-of-17 shooting from the floor to pace Presbyterian.  Jake Troyli added 15 points and eight rebounds while Walt Allen totaled 10 points and six boards.  The Blue Hose shot 46.2% (24-52) from field, including 8-of-16 from beyond the arc.  PC was 8-for-9 at the foul line.

Presbyterian managed a 37-28 rebounding advantage, but were forced into 23 turnovers which Furman turned into 23 Paladin points.  
Furman wraps up its three-game season opening homestand on Saturday when it hosts Ivy League member Dartmouth College on Carolina First Court at Timmons Arena.  Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.

Appalachian State 77, Lees-McRae 44

 

BOONE, N.C. - Isaac Butts scored 10 first-half points and six of the team's first eight after the intermission as he finished with a career-best 22 in Appalachian State University men's basketball's 77-44 win against Lees-McRae on Tuesday. Butts led the squad on the boards as well with nine rebounds as ASU held a commanding 44-30 edge on the glass.

The Mountaineers (2-1) shot a stout 54.4 percent from the field while holding the Bobcats to only 30.5 percent shooting.

Appalachian opened a 17-point first-half lead and never looked back in the rout. The squad then showed its versatility in the second half as 14 players made appearances and 12 different Mountaineers scored.

Donald Sims scored seven points in the contest to go along with three assists and a steal, but did not sink a three-pointer in the game for the first time since last February. The junior guard did sink all three of his free throw attempts to improve to 18-of-19 from the line on the season.

Kellen Brand reached double figures for the second time this season with 10 points on 3-of-3 shooting, including a pair of treys.

As he has now done in all three games this season, Ryann Abraham led the Apps in both assists (5) and steals (2). The senior added four points and two rebounds in his second consecutive start.

Andre Williamson made solid contributions as well in his nine minutes of action, with four points, four rebounds and a career-best two steals. The sophomore forward had just three steals all of last season.

In addition to the shooting and rebounding advantages, ASU had 21 assists to LMC's nine and produced the season's first positive turnover margin at 16-to-19.

Marcus Wright led all bench players with seven points and showed impressive hustle as he swatted his third career block on a breakaway layup attempt.

Josh Nirenberg made his long-awaited Mountaineer debut, as the redshirt freshman scored five points and grabbed seven rebounds in just seven minutes in reserve. Jacob Lail also made his Black and Gold debut with a pair of free throws in four minutes.

Adam McFerran led the Bobcats with 16 points and six rebounds before leaving the game with an ankle injury. Sam Youse added 15 points with three treys in the game.

The Mountaineers head out on a tough road trip this weekend. The squad faces Arkansas on Friday and No. 20 Louisville on Monday. Those two teams met on Tuesday in St. Louis with Louisville earning a 96-66 win.

Virginia Tech 59, UNC Greensboro 46 

BLACKSBURG, Va. - Virginia Tech outscored UNCG 21-8 over the final 10:48 to pull away for a 59-46 win in men's basketball action at Cassell Coliseum on Tuesday night.

The Spartans turned the ball over on six out of seven possessions during a key 11-0 run by the Hokies that saw a 38-38 tie turn into an 11-point Virginia Tech lead midway through the second half. The run was capped off by a three-pointer by Malcolm Delaney - Virginia Tech's first of the night after missing its first 12 attempts. To that point, the Hokies had scored 40 of their 46 points in the paint.

The Spartans committed 23 turnovers on the night after having just 14 in the season-opener at Duke last Friday. Mikko Koivisto and Kyle Randall each had 10 points. Koivisto, however, was held without a field goal attempt after the 8:10 mark of the first half.

Jeff Allen had 14 points, 10 rebounds and six steals for Virginia Tech (2-0), while Malcolm Delaney led all scorers with 17 points. The Hokies converted UNCG's 23 turnovers into 27 points.

"I thought we passed up on a few shots that maybe we should have taken, but we need to take better care of the basketball," said UNCG coach Mike Dement. "I thought maybe we got tired down the stretch when they went on their run. There was a lot of up and down action and I think we got tired.

They chased down some long offensive rebounds and we need to do a better job of pursuing those, too."

Koivisto got off to a quick start. After missing his first three-point attempt of the night - badly - he scored seven of UNCG's first nine points as the Spartans were within a point at 14-13 eight minutes into the game.

His next trey gave him his 46th career double digit scoring game and UNCG a 20-18 lead with eight minutes left before intermission. But that was his last points of the night.

The Spartans were content to play a 2-3 zone so long as Virginia Tech couldn't make a shot from the perimeter. The Hokies missed all 10 of their three-point attempts in the opening half and scored 24 of their 26 points in the paint. The teams went to the locker room deadlocked at 26-all.

The Spartans had just one field goal in the first seven minutes of the second half as the Hokies opened up a five-point lead. But Brandon Evans' conventional three-point play trimmed that margin back two.

UNCG had evened things up before going 5:40 between baskets as the Hokies went on their 11-0 run.

The Spartans will celebrate their home opener on Friday night, playing host to No. 22 Clemson. SpartanFest will open in the Coliseum Pavillion at 4:30 p.m., as will the parking lots for tailgating. Coliseum doors will open at 6 p.m. and game time is set for 7 p.m. The game will also be televised by FSN South.

Charleston Southern 61, The Citadel 60

CHARLESTON, S.C. - Junior guard Cameron Wells led The Citadel with 23 points, however it was not enough to deter a Charleston Southern victory at McAlister Field House on Tuesday evening, as the Buccaneers escaped with a 61-60 victory. Wells converted 10-of-16 shots in the contest, including one three pointer, in 32 minutes of action.

Trailing by one point with the possession, CSU's Jamarco Warren drove to the hoop for the game-winner with 1.2 seconds remaining. Warren, who finished with 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting, forced the Bulldogs to immediately call a timeout for the final possession. After a deep pass down the court, and subsequent foul, the game ended in favor of the Buccaneers. Warren (13 points) shared the stage with teammate Kelvin Martin who notched 15 points, while pulling down 10 boards, on 6-for-10 shooting from the field.

"It is a tough ending to the game," said head coach Ed Conroy. "As I told our team this game will not define our team and will not define our season. It's about getting better, especially at this time of year. Tonight with this game and this opponent obviously there was a lot for us to learn from it and go to work tomorrow. We have three games coming up this weekend where we will find a lot out about our team and I am excited about that opportunity."

Fellow Bulldogs guard Zach Urbanus led the team with three 3-pointers in the game, scoring 12 points and forcing two steals on the defensive end. Joe Wolfinger manned the middle with 10 points and a team-high nine rebounds, including three offensive. Conroy's unit was sparked by Cosmo Morabbi's nine points off the bench, including a pair of critical 3-pointers during a two minute span that gave The Citadel a 58-55 lead with 4:09 remaining. The Citadel falls to 1-1 with the loss, while Charleston Southern earns their first win of the season.

In a back-and-forth contest throughout, the score was tied on eight separate occasions and the two teams changed the lead 10 times. The Buccaneers converted 25-of-48 shots (52.7%), whereas The Citadel managed 24-of-57 shooting (42.1%). Charleston Southern held a 28-26 edge in the paint.

The Citadel returns to action on Friday, Nov. 20 when they appear in their first road game, at the Hispanic College Fund Challenge, taking on Eastern Michigan. Game time is set for 5:30 p.m.

 

Coastal Carolina 69, Elon 46

 

DURHAM, N.C. – Playing three games in four days seemed to have an impact on the Elon men’s basketball team as several lengthy scoring droughts coupled with the hot hands of Coastal Carolina left the Phoenix on the losing end of a 69-46 score in the second round of the Dick’s Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off Tournament at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Tuesday night. Elon dropped to 1-2 on the young season while Coastal Carolina improved to 2-1 overall.

Sophomores Drew Spradlin and Josh Bonney were the lone Elon players in double figures with 11 points each. Spradlin connected on 5-of-9 from the floor, but Elon as a team struggled to get its shots to go down. The Phoenix shot 28.3 percent from the floor and knocked down only three of its 18 attempts from beyond the arc.

The Chanticleers had their best shooting output of the season, hitting on 53.8 percent from the field and scoring 44 of their 69 points in the paint. Coastal’s Joseph Harris led all scorers with 23 points on 11-of-17 shooting. The forward also pulled down a game-high 15 rebounds. The Chanticleers’ Mario Edwards was 7-of-12 for 20 points in the contest.

Coastal Carolina led from the opening tip and built its lead to as many as 14 in the game’s first 20 minutes of action. With the score 16-11 midway through the half, Elon did not hit a field goal for five minutes, managing only two free throws as Coastal increased its advantage to 24-13 at 5:45. The teams traded buckets during the remainder of the half and the Chanticleers held a 36-25 lead at the break.

The Chanticleers opened the final period on a 20-9 run over the first nine minutes to amass a 22-point advantage, 56-34. Another six-minute Elon scoreless stretch allowed Coastal to take its largest lead of the night at 63-34, shutting out any hopes of a Phoenix comeback.

The 46 points were Elon’s lowest scoring total since a 59-44 loss at Georgia Southern on February 16, 2008.

Elon will play two more games in the NIT Season Tip-Off with the site and opponents to be determined on Wednesday. The games will be played on Monday and Tuesday, November 23-24.

The Phoenix will look to get back on the winning track when plays its home opener against Fairleigh Dickinson-Florham on Friday, November 20 at 7 p.m. in Alumni Gym. The game is a double-header with the women’s team which hosts St. Andrews at 5 p.m.