Western Carolina 69, DePaul 64
ROSEMONT, Ill. - Harouna Mutombo led all scorers with a game-high 17 points as Western Carolina led start-to-finish, upending DePaul, 69-64, Tuesday night at the Allstate Arena. The Catamounts built a 21-point second half lead before hanging on down the stretch against the Blue Demons' full-court pressure to score the victory.
Coupled with last season's road win over Louisville in Freedom Hall, Tuesday's win was WCU's second-straight over teams currently in the Big East Conference. WCU is now 2-11 all-time against current Big East teams.
"I thought we took a lot of steps forward tonight, and I'm very pleased with that," said sixth-year head coach Larry Hunter during post-game comments on the Catamount Sports Network. "The guys really, really competed and the effort, that's where I think it really all starts. We wanted to play with great passion and great effort tonight."
WCU won the battle on the glass, outrebounding DePaul, 48-to-34, including a 17-to-7 edge in offensive boards in the winning effort. The Blue Demons forced 17 Catamount turnovers while only committing 12, but the Catamounts recorded six blocked shots - two inside the closing moments of the game.
In addition to Mutombo's 17 points, senior guard Mike Williams poured in a season-high 13 points for the Catamounts while freshman Brandon Boggs posted his first career double-digit scoring outing with a career-best 10 points including a pair of 3-pointers and a game-high seven rebounds.
Senior Richie Gordon and redshirt freshman Trey Sumler - who in addition to Williams was charged with handling the Blue Demons' full-court pressure - both chipped in eight points with Gordon adding a pair of blocked shots. Freshman Tawaski King scored seven points in big minutes off the bench for WCU.
Back-to-back buckets by Gordon including a one-handed slam dunk in transition sparked the Catamounts to an 11-to-2 run to open the game, taking a lead they would never relinquish. The Blue Demons closed to within four points, 19-15, with 7:44 remaining in the first half, but WCU outscored DePaul 16-to-8 to close the half with a 12-point, 35-23, edge at the break.
Western Carolina (1-1) opened the second half like it did the first with an 11-to-2 spurt, capped by a 3-pointer by Williams to take a game-high, 21-point lead three and a half minutes into the frame. The Catamount edge remained double digits until the final four minutes with Brandon Young took over the DePaul, scoring eight-straight points.
WCU's lead was trimmed to five points four times inside the final four minutes, but each time the Catamounts were able to answer.
Young pulled DePaul to within five on a lay-up, but Mutombo answered on the ensuing possession with a lay-up to stretch the lead back to seven. Two free throws by Young again trimmed the margin to five at the three-minute mark. The Catamounts failed to answer immediately, but a blocked shot by Mutombo on the opposite end kept the score where it was with Boggs nailing a jumper to stretch the advantage back to seven.
Gordon gave the Catamount defense its second-straight blocked shot at the 1:42 mark to preserve the five-point advantage, with WCU connecting on 7-of-11 free throw attempts - including 5-of-6 by Sumler - to seal the victory from the charity stripe.
Young led two DePaul players in double figures with 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting, while Krys Faber tallied 10 points in the loss.
Western Carolina travels to Texas to face UTEP in the first game of the Legends Classic this Saturday, Nov. 20 before opening its home schedule on Monday, Nov. 22 against the Warren Wilson Owls in the Ramsey Center
Furman 69, UNC Asheville 67
GREENVILLE, S.C. - Seniors Darryl Evans and Amu Saaka tallied 14 points apiece and combined to convert on 11-of-13 second half free throw attempts as Furman held off UNC Asheville 69-67 in non-conference men's basketball action on Tuesday night at Timmons Arena.
The win improved the Paladins to 2-0 on the season while UNC Asheville suffered its first loss of the campaign and slipped to 1-1.
Furman built a 14-point first half lead, but had to drain 14-of-17 second half free throws and make good on 25-of-29 trips to the charity stripe on the night to hold off Asheville. The Bulldogs, who were led by guard Matt Dickey's game-high 26 points, opened the scoring with a free throw before Furman reeled off a 25-10 run to open up a 14-point advantage on a Noah States trey with 7:57 to go in the first half. Asheville trimmed the margin to 34-26 at intermission and opened the final 20 minutes on a 6-0 run to cut the Paladin lead to 34-32.
The Bulldogs would pull within two points on four more occasions in the second half, but Furman managed to answer each time. With the Paladins leading by four with under three minutes to play, Saaka buried a pair of free throws and Evans converted on 3-of-4 at the line to fashion a 5-0 run and give Furman a 61-52 cushion with 1:25 left. Dickey drained a three-pointer and J.P. Primm followed a Furman turnover with a pair of free throws to get the Bulldogs back within four points, but the Paladins connected on 8-of-10 free throw attempts over their final five possessions to seal their second straight win over Asheville.
Evans finished 4-of-7 from the floor and 5-of-7 from the stripe for his team-high 14 while Saaka made 4-of-10 field goals and all six of his free throw attempts to match Evans with 14 points. States added 12 points and eight rebounds before fouling out while Brandon Sebirumbi chipped in with 11 points. Junior Chris Toler grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds, including six on the offensive end.
The Paladins shot 40.8% (20-49) from the field, but just 4-of-18 beyond the arc. Furman forced 15 Asheville turnovers while committing 17. Each team totaled 37 rebounds in the contest.
Dickey connected on three treys and 9-of-10 free throws to net 26 points. D.J. Cunningham added 15 points and eight rebounds for UNC Asheville, and Primm totaled 13 points and nine boards. The Bulldogs shot 36.7% (22-60) despite making just one of their first 13 shots.
Asheville hosts Virginia Intermont in its home opener on Saturday at 2 p.m. Furman opens a three-game road trip on Friday when it visits Kent State (3-1). Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.
College of Charleston 83, Coastal Carolina 67
CHARLESTON, S.C. - A second-half surge lifted the College of Charleston to an 83-67 come-from-behind victory over Coastal Carolina in the team's home opener held Tuesday night before a crowd of 3,917 at Carolina First Arena.
It was definitely a tale of two halves for the Cougars (2-1), who shot a dismal 39.3 percent from the floor in a first half marred by nine turnovers and being outrebounded 30-16 at one point of the game.
The Chanticleers (2-1) were in control from the very beginning and set the pace. They led by as many as 15 points in the final minutes of the half to carry a comfortable 40-28 lead into halftime.
Out of the locker room, it was whole a different story for the Cougars as they jumped out to a 13-4 run to get within three of Coastal on an and-one play by preseason Southern Conference Player of the Year Andrew Goudelock (Stone Mountain, Ga.) and a three-pointer by junior Antwaine Wiggins (Greenville, Tenn.). They improved their second-half shooting close to 70 percent, minimized their turnovers to three and cleared the glass more efficiently.
More impressively, CofC shot 46.2 percent (12-of-26) from beyond the arc against a Coastal squad that led the nation in three-point field-goal percentage defense (27.5) in 2009-10 and had only allowed its last two opponents of the season to 25 percent from downtown.
The Cougars dialed in from long distance connecting on eight of their season-high 12 three-pointers in their second-half turnaround. The momentum shifted when Goudelock hit a long-range three with 12:06 left in regulation tie the ballgame at 53-all.
Coastal Carolina's Desmond Holloway responded with a jumper to take back the lead, but Goudelock knocked down another three-pointer less than 30 seconds later to give the Cougars the advantage for good. He ended the night with a season-high tying 27 points and was just short of a triple double with a season-high nine assists and five rebounds. For the second-straight contest, sophomore Willis Hall (Charlotte, N.C.) set the tone for CofC with seven of the team's first 12 points and brought down a team-high eight boards, while Wiggins added 12 and senior Jeremy Simmons (Lithonia, Ga.) had 11.
Holloway led Coastal with a 24-point and nine-rebound effort followed by 14 from Danny Nieman. The win avenged a 70-59 loss to the Chanticleers in last year's season opener in Myrtle Beach, S.C., which was the first win in the series for the defending Big South Conference champions since 1993.
Up next, the Cougars prepare for another quick turnaround as they travel to the Midwest to play three-straight games against Postseason NIT semifinalist Rhode Island on Friday, Nov. 19 at 4:30 p.m. (ET), Illinois-Chicago on Saturday, Nov. 20 at 4:30 p.m. (ET) and host Toledo on Sunday, Nov. 21 at 3 p.m. (ET) as part of the Toledo Subregional of the 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer in Toledo, Ohio.
Appalachian State 101, Montreat College 71
BOONE, N.C. - Appalachian State University overcame a 50-minute delay and a sloppy start to cruise past Montreat, 101-71, in the Mountaineers' home opener on Tuesday night at the Holmes Center.
Montreat's (2-3) uniforms did not make the trip to Boone with the team and arrived 45 minutes late, after the Mountaineers (2-0) warmed up longer than usual. The result was a lackluster start by the Apps against a strong Montreat press.
After jumping out to a comfortable 18-8 lead, a 10-point Cavalier run knotted the game midway through the first half. From there, the teams played nearly even for a few minutes before the Apps regained their composure and took the game over.
Spanning halftime, Appalachian took off on a 17-point run to put the game away at 60-36 five minutes into the second half.
Donald Sims tallied a team-high 21 points on 6-of-9 shooting with three treys and a 6-of-6 mark at the foul line. The senior added four assists, six rebounds and a pair of steals in just 23 minutes.
Reigning Southern Conference Player of the Week Omar Carter followed up his 35-point performance on Friday with 20 on 7-of-11 shooting. The junior added three boards, two steals and an assist in 19 minutes.
Off the bench, senior Jeremi Booth provided a spark with 12 points and four rebounds in 17 minutes. Nathan Healy played 19 solid minutes in relief, finishing the game with seven points, six rebounds and an assist.
ASU shot better than 50 percent from the field for the second-straight game at 52.2 percent, while holding Montreat to a paltry 30.8 percent for the game.
On the glass, ASU held a 52-43 advantage, led by seven from Andre Williamson. The junior forward added seven points, two blocks and an assist. He also provided the highlight of the night with a thundering one-handed putback dunk on a rebound off the glass to put Appalachian up 72-41.
ASU's 52 rebounds were the most since December 2008, when the Mountaineers grabbed 58 in a win over Milligan.
Freshmen Ryan Kilmartin and Griffin Shaw made their ASU debuts in the second half. Kilmartin scored two points on three shots while Shaw added three points and a rebound in 13 minutes.
In his second game in the Black and Gold, Petey Hausley scored seven points with five boards and two blocks. Fellow newcomer Mitch Woods started and played 10 minutes before feeling ill and leaving the game. The freshman guard scored four points with two assists and a pair of boards.
The 101 points were the most in a home opener since ASU defeated North Greenville, 109-71, in 2006.
The Mountaineers take off on a six-game road trip, beginning with a Friday night tilt at Mississippi State. Tipoff is set fo 8 p.m. EST.
Charleston Southern 68, The Citadel 61
CHARLESTON, S.C - The senior tandem of Cameron Wells and Austin Dahn, who combined for 34 points, was not enough to silence a sold out crowd at CSU Field House as the host Buccaneers emerged with a 68-61 victory. The Bulldogs converted 23-of-53 field goals (43.4%) and 12-of-17 (70.6%) free throws in their first visit to Charleston Southern since the 2005 season.
Wells topped all scorers with 19 points on 7-of-16 shooting, while Dahn added 15 points for The Citadel offensive attack. The Cadets saw improvement in their post game with seven points each from Matt Clark, Bryan Streeter and Morakinyo Williams. The trio also made their presence known on the glass with six rebounds apiece from Clark and Streeter and five courtesy of Williams. Another key element for the Bulldogs was a 10-8 advantage in assists, including a game-high four from Wells. The Bulldogs slip to 0-2 with in the loss.
Charleston Southern (1-1) was led on the offensive end by Kelvin Martin and Kenny Mitchell who tallied 12 points each. Martin, who hit 5-of-7 from the field, topped the Buccaneers with nine rebounds (three offensive). Mitchell was successful of 5-of-6 field goals and was a key second half performer with 10 points after the intermission. CSU finished 27-for-54 (50%) from field goal range and was able to convert 4-of-9 (44.4%) attempts from beyond the arc. The Bucs were able to capitalize on 10 players scoring two or more points to improve to 1-1 on the season.
The Bulldogs stretched their one-point halftime lead to six, 34-28, in under a minute of action with three points from Clark. CSU responded with a 12-6 run to knot the game at 40-40 at the 14:27 mark on a jumper by Mitchell. Just over a minute Urbanus found Dahn in the corner for a 3-pointer which allowed The Citadel to regain the lead, 43-42.
The back-and-forth affair continued over an eight minute span, with neither team holding greater than a six-point lead, before Cosmo Morabbi tied the game at 54-54 on a layup at the 6:19 mark. CSU responded with the next six straight points, taking a 60-54 lead with 4:01 remaining. Wells kick started the Cadet offensive with a steal and breakaway layup, scoring the next six straight Bulldog points to draw even at 60-60.
Following a media timeout, Martin accounted for five straight Buccaneer points as CSU took a 65-60 lead with 36 seconds remaining in the contest. Charleston Southern would tack on three field throws down the stretch to make for the 68-61 win.
Wells led five Bulldogs in scoring with 10 points at the break, hitting 3-of-6 from the floor and knocking down all four free throw attempts. Dahn was also integral in The Citadel offensive attack with seven points, hitting the only 3-pointer of the first half. The Dogs took advantage of 10 Charleston Southern fouls and finished 10-of-13 (76.9%) from the charity stripe.
Grier's six points led a host of Charleston Southern players at the half. The post presence of Martin and Johathan Brooks accounted for six rebounds each to give a 19-17 edge in rebounds.
The Bulldogs opened with a 9-3 run over the first 5:26 of the contest, converting 5-of-6 free throws during the stretch. With solid defense and buckets from a variety of sources the Cadet lead grew to 17-7 at the 11:09 mark on a trey from Dahn. A layup by Troy Pierce sparked a 19-6 run the Buccaneers, highlighted by five points by Chris Grier. Grier gave CSU its first lead of the game, 26-23, on a 3-pointer with 2:19 remaining in the half.
Four points from Wells and a pair of Charleston Southern turnovers gave The Citadel a 29-28 advantage heading into the break.
The Bulldogs return to action on Saturday night when host James Madison for the first of 14 games at McAlister Field House.