Wofford 73, Navy 62
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - The Wofford men's basketball team defeated Navy 73-62 on Saturday afternoon at Benjamin Johnson Arena. With the game tied at 50 with eight minutes left, the Terriers outscored the Midshipmen 23-12 down the stretch to take the victory.
Wofford is 5-6 overall, while Navy is 4-7. Noah Dahlman led the team with 13 points, while Corey Godzinski added twelve and Brad Loesing ten points. Tim Johnson had a team-high eight rebounds. For Navy, Jordan Sugars had 21 points and Chris Harris scored eleven while Mark Veazey had five rebounds.
"It was not a thing of beauty," said head coach Mike Young. "But we got nice play from a number of guys. I thought Terry Martin played well, Corey Godzinski was good for us, and Tim Johnson again strung together a very positive performance. It was good to see Salters get a couple home and play as we know he can. We beat a good opponent. They came in here with a nice plan and kind of put us on our heels a little bit. We figured some things out in the second half and it was good enough to win."
The Terriers had an early 5-2 lead after a three by Junior Salters and Wofford had a 12-10 lead at the 13:53 mark after a three from Kevin Giltner. Navy then went on an 8-0 run that included three pointers from Jordan Sugars and Chris Harris to take an 18-12 lead just a minute later at 12:53. Wofford ended the run with buckets from Noah Dahlman and Cameron Rundles, but then neither team scored for the next three minutes.
Down by four at the nine minute mark, Corey Godzinski hit a three and followed it a minute later with a lay-up and free throw to take a 21-20 lead with 6:51 on the clock. The Terriers built a four point lead, but the Midshipmen answered and tied the game at 26 with 3:26 left after a three by Romeo Garcia. Wofford scored the last six points of the half to take a 32-26 lead at the break.
Wofford opened the second half with a three by Brad Loesing, but Romeo Garcia answered for Navy with a three. At 16:40, Jordan Sugars hit a three to give Navy a 39-37 lead after a 10-2 by the Midshipmen. The Terriers regained the lead at 40-39 after a bucket by Cameron Rundles and Wofford was able to build a 48-42 lead at the 12:22 mark after a three by Jason Dawson.
A three by Jordan Sugars tied the game at 50 with 8:22 on the clock. Wofford then used a 14-4 run to build a ten-point lead at 64-54. Junior Salters added a three for the Terriers to take a 67-56 advantage with three minutes left in the game. Wofford was able to keep the lead at ten to twelve points for the remainder of the game and won by a final score of 73-62.
Wofford shot 48.9 percent from the floor and 50.0 percent from behind the arc. From the free throw line, the Terriers were 71.4 percent. The Midshipmen shot 41.5 percent overall and were 42.9 percent from three. They were 81.8 percent from the line. Wofford had a 36-24 lead on rebounds. Both teams stuggled in turnovers, with Wofford committing 21 and Navy finishing with 19.
The Terriers complete the three-game home stand with a game against South Carolina on Saturday, December 19 at 7:00 pm.
Samford 58, Spring Hill 48
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. --- The Samford University basketball team overcame a lackluster shooting performance from 3-point range Saturday to fight to a 58-48 victory against the Spring Hill College Badgers. In the win, Samford only shot 20.8 percent from 3-point range, but did finish with four players scoring in double figures for the first time this season.
"We did some good things today, but we are definitely capable of playing a lot better," said Samford head coach Jimmy Tillette. "We worked very hard in practice this week, but I didn't see the way that we practiced in our game today. I am very disappointed in the way that things transpired in the final five or six minutes of the game and we really need to continue to work to get better."
Samford (3-6) was led in scoring by guards Jeffrey Merritt and Trey Montgomery. Both players finished with 12 points. Merritt, the Bulldogs' 6-foot-6 sophomore from Oklahoma City, Okla., also tallied game-highs in both rebounds (8) and steals (4). He was 5-for-7 from the field and logged a career-high 38 minutes of playing time.
Montgomery also finished with 12 points and added six rebounds, three assists and a trio of steals. Samford's junior point guard from Destrehan, La., was 4-for-7 from the field and 2-for-4 from beyond the arc. Montgomery's two 3-pointers led the team Saturday.
Matthew Friday made his first start of the 2009-10 campaign Saturday and registered season-highs in points (8), rebounds (7), assists (5), field goals (4) and minutes (28). His eight points proved to be a career-high total and surpassed his previous mark of seven, which was scored against Spring Hill (4-1) last season.
Samford's Bryan Friday and Josh Davis both added 11 points Saturday. Friday was 5-for-10 from the field and pulled down four rebounds, while Davis was 5-of-15 from the field and grabbed six rebounds.
The Bulldogs only shot 20.8 percent from 3-point range marking their second worst performance of the season. Earlier this year, Samford turned in a 15.4-percent outing in a hard-fought 55-52 loss to UAB on Nov. 15.
Spring Hill, which outscored Samford 28-27 in the second half, was led in scoring by both Chris Dees, Jr., and Antonio Burch. Both Dees, Jr., and Burch finished with 12 points on 5-of-13 shooting from the field as the Badgers only turned the ball over 10 times Saturday.
Guard Marcus Coleman added 11 points for Spring Hill on a 4-of-18 performance from the floor. He was also 3-for-12 from 3-point range.
The Badgers only shot 31.6 percent from the field and 23.8 percent from beyond the arc. The Bulldogs finished the game with a 48-percent shooting mark, but were only 5-of-24 from long distance.
Samford outrebounded Spring Hill 41-34 and was 5-of-9 from the free-throw line. The Badgers were only 7-of-17 from the charity stripe.
In the second half, Samford extended its lead to as many as 16 points before Spring Hill rallied late to only trail by eight, 56-48, with 46 seconds remaining in the game. The Bulldogs then iced the victory with a pair of free throws from Montgomery.
The Samford University basketball team will next be in action Wednesday at 7 p.m., as the Bulldogs square off against the Alabama Crimson Tide for the first time since Nov. 14, 2001. The in-state matchup will be held at Alabama's Coleman Coliseum in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Chattanooga 82, Mississippi Valley State 60
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga men's basketball team used a barrage of first-half 3-pt. field goals to post an 82-60 win against Mississippi Valley State in the McKenzie Arena today. The Mocs improve to 5-4 on the season with the non-conference win. The Delta Devils fall to 1-8 on the year.
The Mocs hit nine 3-pointers in the first 20 minutes and opened the game on a 14-2 run to cruise to a 44-29 halftime lead. UTC held MVSU to 1-8 shooting while forcing nine turnovers in the first eight minutes. The Mocs were 9-19 from behind the arc in the first 20 minutes of the game.
Chattanooga opened the second half hitting three of its first four shots from 3-pt. range. Senior Ty Patterson gave the Mocs their largest lead at 59-33 with a 3-pointer at the 16:10 mark. Chattanooga would go on to miss their next eight attempts from behind the arc, allowing Mississippi Valley State to climb back into the game.
The Delta Devils cut the lead to 12 at 69-57 on a 3-pointer from D'Angelo Jackson with 5:30 left. However, a three-point-play inside by junior DeAntre Jefferson and five straight points from sophomore Ricky Taylor put the game out of reach.
The Mocs finished 14-34 from 3-pt. range, posting a season high on 3-pt. FGs made and just two shy of the McKenzie Arena record. Taylor scored a career-high 22 points off the bench, shooting 8-14 from the field and 4-9 from behind the arc.
Patterson saw his first action of the season and scored 16 points on 6-12 shooting. He equaled his career-high with four 3-pointers on nine attempts. Freshman Josh Odem scored 12 points in the game, all from behind the arc. His four 3-pointers on eight attempts were also a career-high.
The Mocs did a good job of sharing the ball in the game. They set a season-high with 24 assists, led by a game-high 10 from sophomore Keegan Bell. It is the second time this season Bell has reached double-figures in assists. He came into the game leading the SoCon and No. 17 nationally with a 5.9 assist-per-game average.
The Delta Devils were led by Shannon Behling's 20 points. The reigning Southwestern Conference Player of the Week shot 7-15 from the floor, 1-5 from 3-pt. range and 5-5 from the FT line. Jackson added 10 points and Ricky Lamb came off the bench for 15 points.
The Mocs are back in action on Monday, Dec. 14, when they host No. 21 Georgia Tech at 7:00 p.m.
NC State 75, Georgia Southern 57
RALEIGH, N.C. - When the shots weren't falling for Georgia Southern, defense and determination were weapons it relied on against N.C. State at Reynolds Coliseum Satuday afternoon. The Wolfpack shot 73 percent for the second half, hitting 10-13 at the midway point and finishing with a 64.7 field goal percentage for the game to take the 75-57 win. Georgia Southern forced N.C. State into 15 turnovers, converting them into 28 points. The Eagles had a season low eight turnovers, with only three in the first half.
Wolfpack junior forward Tracy Smith scored 12 of his game-high 21 points in the second half with Dennis Horner scoring 16 and Julius Mays adding 11. For Georgia Southern, junior point guard Willie Powers III
had 14 points as Johntavious Rucker and Rory Spencer contributed 12 each.
The second half featured back-to-back-to-back runs. N.C. State opened the second half with a 10-2 run over the first three minutes of the second half, extending its lead to 19. The Wolfpack was a perfect 5-5
from the field and didn't miss an attempt until the 13:58 mark in the half. Georgia Southern put together a 13-2 run to cut the margin to nine, 43-52, but the Wolfpack responded with a 16-4 run, hitting 7-9 from the floor to take a 21-point lead, 68-47.
"We never stopped fighting, our effort was good and if we had made a couple of shots, we'd be right back in there," said Eagles Head Coach Charlton "C.Y." Young. "We hustled, scrapped and battled, but it was
hard for us to keep our energy and enthusiasm when you don't see the ball go through the hoop."
Down by a dozen for most of the first half, Georgia Southern battled through the larger N.C. State players, but showed resilience and toughness. Sophomore forward Colby Wohlleb had two steals, first taking a ball from Wolfpack freshman Scott Wood and then fighting Horner for a loose ball in the paint on the N.C. State side. The second steal set up a Spencer layup to cut the lead to eight with two minutes left in the first half. N.C. State took a 31-20 lead into halftime.
N.C. State shot 56 percent for the first half, hitting two three-point goals while Georgia Southern went 0-7 from behind the arc. Georgia Southern had seven steals and only three turnovers while causing eight
Wolfpack turnovers. The Wolfpack bench had the advantage over the Eagles, scoring 15 points to 10 for Georgia Southern for the game.
Senior guard Antonio Hanson scored all nine of his points in the second half and added his name to the Georgia Southern top-10 list for career three pointers. Hanson hit two threes to put him at 115 over his Eagle career. Spencer, Rucker and Troupe had five rebounds each for the Eagles with Rucker adding six steals. Horner had a game-high nine rebounds for the Wolfpack.
The Eagles were without the services of senior guard Antoine Johnson, the top defender on the team. Johnson suffered a foot injury and is listed as day-to-day.
Western Carolina 81, Louisville 83
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Mike Williams scored 22 of his career-high 24 points in the second half while Jake Robinson buried six 3-pointers as a part of his 23-point performance as Western Carolina stunned a near-capacity crowd at Freedom Hall with a 91-83 road victory over the Louisville Cardinals, extending its current winning streak to nine.
Western Carolina's bench scored a combined 51 points, outscoring the Cards' reserves 51-to-22 as the Catamounts earned their first-ever win over Louisville (1-1) and a Big East opponent (1-11).
With Louisville within three, 66-63, with 5:33 to play and the raucous, red-and-black crowd back into the game, Robinson buried 3-pointers on three consecutive possessions to run the lead back to double figures. The Cardinals would only manage to trim the deficit down to six, 84-78, inside the final minute
"This was a really good win for our basketball team and I'm really proud of and happy for our guys," said WCU head coach Larry Hunter during post-game comments. "We have a veteran team and they've been through the other end of this. They've earned it. It's a good group with great chemistry and it's something we can continue to build upon."
Hunter added, "I know we caught Louisville at a really good time. They've got injuries. I talked to (Coach Rick Pitino) before the game and it's tough. It's really tough out there when you're hurt, people playing with bad wrists and those kind of things. But they competed tonight. I thought both teams competed really well and we're not a bad basketball team. It's a very good road win for us."
In addition to Williams and Robinson, Richie Gordon and Brigham Waginger each finished with 13 points apiece with Gordon leading the team with six rebounds. Waginger dished out six assists and made four steals to move into a tie for first on the school's career chart with WCU Hall of Famer, Henry Logan, with 221 career thefts.
Brandon Giles rounded out WCU's double-digit scorers, finishing with 10 points including two, 3-pointers.
Tied at five early in the first half, Western Carolina (10-1) outscored the Cardinals 15-to-6 over the next eight minutes to take its largest lead of the opening stanza at 10, 21-11, with eight minutes remaining until the break. But Louisville chipped away at the Catamount advantage, trimming it to two, 31-29, inside the final minute of the half.
Waginger hit a 3-pointer in the closing seconds of the opening half as WCU led by five at intermission, 34-29.
Out of the halftime locker room, the Cardinals hit three, 3-pointers on three of their first four possessions to re-claim the lead by two, 38-36. The two squads traded the lead back-and-fourth five additional times before Williams, who scored eight of WCU's nine points during a three-minute span midway through the half, gave the Catamounts the lead for what proved to be for good on a jumper with 11:46 to play.
Williams also capped a 9-to-2 run with a thunderous offensive rebound slam dunk to push WCU ahead by nine, 61-52. Louisville twice cut the deficit to three, the latter on a dunk by Rakeen Buckles to make the score 66-63, setting up Robinson's heroics from long range.
The Catamounts made 11 free throws inside the final two minutes, including 7-of-8 charity tosses in the final 60 seceonds alone, to secure the win.
Louisville (5-3) matched WCU's five players in double-digit scoring as guard Edgar Sosa finished with 16 points and back-court counterpart, Knowles, finished with 15. Forward Jared Swopshire recorded 12 points, while Samardo Samuels and Terrence Jennings each scored 11 in the interior.
All told, Western Carolina forced Louisville into committing a season-high 21 turnovers that the Catamounts turned into 28 points.
Western Carolina will break for final exams next week, returning to action on Tuesday, Dec. 22 as the Catamounts travel to Littlejohn Coliseum to face the nationally-ranked Clemson Tigers.
Gonzaga 103, Davidson 91
SEATTLE - Jake Cohen led six Davidson scorers in double figures with 16 points, but the Wildcats fell 103-91 to No. 21 Gonzaga in the Battle in Seattle in KeyArena Saturday afternoon.
Brendan McKillop and JP Kuhlman each scored 15 points, and Will Archambault added 11 points and a career-high six assists for the Wildcats (2-7). Nik Cochran came off the bench to score a career-high 10 points, and Ben Allison added 10 points and five rebounds.
Elias Harris led the Bulldogs (8-2) with 27 points, and Robert Sacre netted 23. Demetri Goodson scored 22 points, and Steven Gray added 16.
The teams combined to shoot 81 free throws, and Gonzaga, which came into the game averaging 30 foul shots a game, shot a school-record 54, cashing in on 41 of the chances. The Bulldogs also shot 63.6 percent from the floor, including 6-for-12 from 3-point range.
Davidson had its best offensive outing of the season, shooting 50.8 percent from the floor and hitting 14-of-23 from long distance. McKillop led the charge, hitting 5-for-7 from 3-point range, and Kuhlman went 3-for-4. The Wildcats had 25 assists on 30 made baskets.
Gonzaga used a 14-6 run midway through the second frame to open a double-digit lead on the Wildcats, and the margin grew to as many as 18 points on a Sacre dunk with 7:24 to play.
Davidson wouldn't go away and used an 11-3 run with the help of a 3-pointer each from Cochran, Cohen and Kuhlman to make the score 88-78 with 4:27 remaining, but it was as close as the Wildcats would get as the Zags made 11-of-13 from the charity stripe the rest of the way.
The Zags worked the ball inside to the 7-foot Sacre or the 6-foot-8 Harris early and usually got a high-percentage shot or two chances at the foul line. They used a 9-2 run midway through the frame to open a 24-15 lead with 11:13 to go in the first half.
The Wildats responded with a monster 20-4 run to open a 35-28 cushion with 7:03 left. Cochran scored seven of his points during the spurt, and McKillop hit three 3s. Gonzaga came right back to score 17 straight points and take a 10-point cushion with 2:04 remaing, but the 'Cats finished the half with a 10-2 flurry and trailed 47-45 at the break.
Davidson returns to action at home Thursday, Dec. 17, when the 'Cats host The College of New Jersey in Belk Arena at 7 p.m.