Chattanooga 69, Marshall 68
HUNTINGTON, W. Va. --- The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (2-2) needed all 40 minutes to capture a 69-68 win over Marshall (2-1) in the Henderson Center Saturday night. The win was secured by junior point guard Keegan Bell.
Bell took a charge as time expired on a DeAndre Kane drive. With the Thundering Herd scrambling on offense with time winding down, Kane drove hard to the basket and released a shot that fell, but not released before he barreled into Bell.
It was a resilient effort by the Mocs all night. Marshall led by as many as 10 points in the first half and eight in the second. The Herd was up 50-42 with 15:19 with to play in the game.
Chattanooga responded with a 9-2 run to come within 52-51 on an Omar Wattad three-point play with 11:53 remaining. The Herd pushed back to five points as late as 6:57. 61-56, on a Kane three-pointer.
UTC continued to battle tying the score at 62-all on two Josh Odem with 4:56 left. Marshall took its final lead 25 seconds later on a Shaquille Johnson layup making it 64-62. Wattad put the Mocs in front for good, 65-64 with a three-pointer. Saffore had the Mocs' final four points to set up Bell's heroics.
Huntington, W. Va., native Chris Early led the Mocs tying his career high with 13 points, along with a team-best seven rebounds. Bell added 12 points and four assists, while Wattad chipped in 11 points and six rebounds.
Kane had a game-high 20 points and eight rebounds for the Herd. Dago Pena had 12 points, while Johnson had 10 points and five assists. Nigel Spikes led all rebounders with nine.
A three-point play by Johnny Higgins gave Marshall its 10-point first half lead, 21-11, at 9:46. A 15-5 run tied it up for the Mocs with back-to-back threes by Early tying it up. Troy Cage's three with 43 seconds to go gave UTC a 36-35 halftime lead.
Dontay Hampton and Jeremy Saffore played key roles for Chattanooga. Saffore had eight points, all in the second half, tying Early's seven boards. Hampton had seven points, two rebounds and two steals.
The Mocs trek across I-64 West tonight to face Louisville on Monday evening at the new KFC Yum! Center at 7 p.m. The game can be watched on ESPN3.com with Dave Weekley and Bob Valvano on the call. Chattanooga returns home after the Cardinals game to match up with Jackson State on Wednesday at 7 p.m., in McKenzie Arena.
College of Charleston 78, Illinois-Chicago 66
TOLEDO, Ohio - The College of Charleston men's basketball team shot 55.6 percent from the floor to get past Illinois-Chicago, 78-66, in the second of three-straight games in the subregional round of the 2K Sports Classic benefiting Coaches vs. Cancer held Saturday night at Savage Arena.
The Cougars (3-2) got off to a fast start with a 19-6 run and defensively held the Flames (2-2) without a bucket for more than four minutes of play including two shot-clock violations. A three-pointer by preseason Southern Conference Player of the Year Andrew Goudelock gave CofC its largest lead of the game, 33-15, at the 6:05 minute mark, but UIC never gave up and cut it down to 11 with a 40-29 margin at halftime.
The Flames caught second wind and went on a 13-6 run of their own to start the second half as they got within four of the Cougars, 46-42, on a dunk by Paul Carter, who ended the night with a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
Robo Kreps scored 17 of his 26 points in the second half including a pair of free throws to get UIC within two, 55-53, with 10:29 remaining. UIC was sent to the line 19 times and made 13 to stay in the ballgame.
CofC would stretch its lead back out to double figures, 70-60, with six-straight points courtesy of a pair of layups by sophomore Willis Hall and a jumper by junior Antwaine Wiggins with 5:38 to go. Hall contributed 10 points and helped the Cougars win the rebound war, 36-27, for the first time this season with six boards.
Goudelock and senior Jeremy Simmons combined for 43 of the team's 78 points in the game with 26 and 17 respectively. A driving layup with 45 seconds left in regulation moved Goudelock into third all-time in career scoring with 1,815 career points surpassing former CofC standout Sam Meade, who had 1,812 points from 1970-74. Simmons scored 11 of his 17 points in the second half.
CofC will close out 2K Sports Classic tournament play tomorrow against host Toledo (0-4) at 3 p.m. (ET).
Middle Tennessee 68, Samford 55
AUBURN, Ala. --- Just one day after shooting lights out in a 79-68 victory against Auburn, the Samford University basketball team turned in a lackluster 38.1 percentage from the floor in a 68-55 loss against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders on Saturday in the Bulldogs' second game of the 2010 Global Sports Hoops Showcase being held at Auburn Arena.
With the loss, Samford (2-2) had its two-game winning streak snapped. Heading into the contest, the Bulldogs were coming off consecutive victories against Tennessee Wesleyan and Auburn. Samford will conclude play in the Global Sports Hoops Showcase on Sunday at 2 p.m. (CST) versus Campbell.
Middle Tennessee (2-2) improved to 3-1 all-time against Samford and bounced back from a 97-90 loss to Campbell on Friday. The Blue Raiders will close out play in the three-day competition Sunday against Auburn at 4:30 p.m.
Samford fell behind early in Saturday's game and Middle Tennessee used a 20-6 run in the opening half to garner a 31-16 lead at halftime. The Bulldogs fought back in the second half and outscored the Blue Raiders 39-37 in the final period, but the damage had been done.
Samford committed a season-high 17 turnovers in the loss, while Middle Tennessee only turned the ball over 12 times. The Bulldogs were outrebounded 39-27, with 15 of the Blue Raiders' boards coming on their offensive end of the court.
Middle Tennessee finished with three players scoring in double figures and was paced by senior guard James Washington who tallied 12 points, four steals, three rebounds and a trio of assists. Middle Tennessee's native of St. Louis, Mo., also knocked down a team-high three 3-point baskets.
Sophomore Jason Jones added 11 points and four rebounds for the Blue Raiders, while Trevor Ottley chipped in with near double-double numbers of 10 points and seven rebounds.
The Bulldogs were led in scoring by redshirt freshman Drew Windler's 15 points. Samford's 6-foot-9 native of South Milwaukee, Wis., tallied his career-high total by shooting a perfect 5-of-5 from the field, including a 3-for-3 mark from 3-point range. Windler was also 2-for-2 from the line, grabbed three rebounds and added a steal.
Samford's Gregg Wooten also tallied his career-high in scoring Saturday. The Bulldogs' sophomore from Memphis, Tenn., registered 12 points and 4-of-12 shooting and knocked down a pair of 3-point baskets.
Following Wooten's double-digit scoring performance, Samford was aided by seven points from Josh Davis and five points from true freshman Will Cook.
Midway through the second half, Middle Tennessee used a 3-pointer from Washington and a free throw from Shawn Jones to take its largest lead of the game, 50-31, with 8:38 remaining.
The Bulldogs then used a layup from Windler, a driving score from Gaby Bermudez and four straight free throws from Davis to trim the Blue Raiders' lead to 50-39 with 4:46 left to play. Samford was never able to get any closer than 11 points as Middle Tennessee was able to knock down 12 free throws in the final minutes.
The Blue Raiders shot 41.4 percent from the field in the first half and took a 31-16 lead into the intermission. Samford finished 5-for-16 from the floor in the opening period and went nearly five minutes without a point midway through the half.
Middle Tennessee used a 20-6 run in the first 20 minutes of play to jump out to its quick lead. Following a deep 3-point basket from Windler at the 14:12 mark in the first half, the Bulldogs only trailed the Blue Raiders 10-8. Middle Tennessee then exploded for its 20-6 run to take a 30-14 advantage with less than a minute to play.
The Blue Raiders closed out the opening period with a three-point play from Ottley. Samford scored two points at the buzzer as John Peterson pulled down a rebound and connected on the put-back just as the horn was sounding.
Samford was led in scoring at the half by Windler's six points on 2-for-2 shooting from the field. Cook added four points in the opening 20 minutes of play.
Middle Tennessee was paced offensively by Jones' eight points on 4-of-7 shooting from the floor. Ottley followed with six points, while Kerry Hammonds chipped in with five points and a pair of rebounds.
The Samford University basketball team will next be in action Sunday at 2 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs close out play in the 2010 Global Sports Hoops Showcase against the Campbell Camels at Auburn Arena.
Wake Forest 89, Elon 70
GREENSBORO, N.C. - Behind a career-high 22 points and 15 rebounds from freshman Travis McKie, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons posted an 89-70 victory over the host Elon Phoenix at the Greensboro Coliseum on Saturday night in non-conference men's basketball action. McKie went 9-of-13 from the field and Wake Forest shot a blistering 54.8 percent as the Deacons improved to 2-2 on the young season. Elon, playing the first of four Atlantic Coast Conference opponents this year, dropped to 1-2 overall.
Chris Long's 17 points led three Elon scorers in double figures. Long shot 7-of-12 from the field and added four assists. Sophomore Roger Dugas dropped 14 points on 4-of-7 from long range. Junior Drew Spradlin contributed 11 points and rookie Lucas Troutman led Elon on the glass with six boards. Wake Forest had five players in double figures.
Behind seven straight points from Spradlin to begin the game, the Phoenix took an early 14-2 lead at the 14:19 mark. Through the first eight minutes of action, Elon connected on 9-of-14 from the field, gaining a 20-12 advantage with 12:16 on the clock. The Phoenix forced six Demon Deacon turnovers during the span, drawing two early charges. Elon would force 14 WFU miscues in the opening 20 minutes.
After both Jack Isenbarger and Troutman went to the bench with two fouls midway through the half, the Phoenix went cold from the floor, not making a field goal for over 11 minutes. A Dugas three-pointer 47 seconds before the break finally halted a 25-3 Wake Forest run and put Elon within 11, 37-26. Troutman dumped in the final bucket of the half and the Phoenix found itself with nine, 37-28, heading into the locker room.
Elon shot 35.5 percent from the field, while Wake connected on 50.0 percent, including 4-of-5 from downtown. The Demon Deacons dominated the glass in the first 20 minutes, holding a 25-11 advantage.
Wake Forest quickly stretched its lead back to 14, 46-32, at 15:59, before Elon used a zone defense to get back-to-back stops. Consecutive triples by Dugas and a bucket by Long helped Elon to claw within eight, 48-40, with 14:10 to go.
With the score 55-45 at 12:12, Wake reeled off nine unanswered points capped by a McKie trey. Elon would never get closer than 13 in the remainder of the contest as the visitors stretched their lead to as many as 23 before the final horn.
A normally strong three-point shooting team, Elon struggled from beyond the arc, hitting 8-of-27 (29.6 percent). Wake nailed 8-of-14 (57.1 percent) from three and was an impressive 13-of-15 from the free throw line. Elon connected on only 6-of-15 from the stripe. Wake finished with a 48-26 advantage on the glass.
Elon will have a quick turnaround as the Phoenix host Hampden-Sydney in Alumni Gym on Monday, November 22 at 7 p.m.
James Madison 74, The Citadel 67
CHARLESTON, S.C.- Despite double digits from the senior trio of Austin Dahn (18 points), Cameron Wells (17 points) and Zach Urbanus (16 points) but it was not enough to stave off James Madison, who left with a 74-67 victory in the season-opener at McAlister Field House. Dahn moved into 44th on the school's all-time scoring list with 851 points, while Urbanus became the 28th player to top the 1,000-point mark in Bulldog history. Wells, who hit 7-of-20 from the field, moved within 101 points of tying all-time leading scorer Regan Truesdale.
The Bulldogs also got an offensive lift from Bryan Streeter, who totaled nine points along with a team-high eight rebounds. Teammates Daniel Eykyn and DeVontae Wright, who finished with five and two points respectively, rounded out Citadel scorers. Streeter, in his second consecutive start of the season, anchored the Cadet inside game that finished with 30 rebounds. He was joined up front by Eykyn who finished with five in the contest. The Bulldogs found their rhythm from beyond the arc, converting 11-of-27 attempts (40.7%), behind four 3-pointers each from Dahn (4-10) and Urbanus (4-8). The Citadel took a season-high 68 field goal attempts, hitting 27-of-68 from the floor (39.7%). They fall to 0-3 on the season.
As for James Madison (1-1), the combination of Denzel Bowles (20 points), Devon Moore (19 points) and Rayshawn Goins (13 points, 10 rebounds) came through with timely second half buckets to key the win. Bowles and Moore exploded for 14 second half points apiece for the Dukes, accounting for 28 of the team's 49 points in the stanza. Bowles was successful on 10-of-12 field goal attempts, leading the team to a 27-of-49 (55.1%) shooting performance. Goins teamed with Chad Jackson, who grabbed eight rebounds, to give JMU a 39-30 edge on the glass.
Urbanus opened the second half with a long range 3-pointer to extend the lead to 33-25, but 10 points from Bowles, Moore and Goins knotted the contest at 37-37 at the 15:51 mark. Just over 30 seconds later, The Citadel regained the lead on a trey by Urbanus, but JMU countered with a 16-6 run that pushed the advantage to 53-46. Streeter scored the first of five points over a 1:40 stretch that kept the Cadets within striking distance, 55-52.
James Madison pieced together an 8-3 run, keyed by four free throws from Moore, to pull ahead 63-55 with 5:34 remaining. A crucial jumper by DeVontae Wright combined with Dahn's final 3-pointer of the game, put The Citadel within striking distance, 62-65, at the 2:55 mark. Behind seven free throws in the final stretch, the Dukes emerged with the 74-67 final.
The Citadel got the largest chunk of its scoring from beyond the arc, behind 11 points on 3-of-5 3-point shooting by Dahn. Urbanus also found his shooting touch, knocking down a pair of treys to finish the first half with 10 points. Along with nine from Wells, the Bulldogs took a 30-25 lead into the intermission.
The two teams traded baskets, and the lead, over the first 6:33 of the game before a Humpty Hitchens 3-pointer sparked a 9-0 run by JMU and provided the Dukes with an 18-10 advantage on the scoreboard. The Citadel trio of Dahn, Wells and Urbanus hit successive 3-pointers to regain the edge, 21-19, with just under five minutes remaining. Five points over the final 2:59 by Dahn stretched the lead to 30-25 heading into the locker room.
The Bulldogs return home on Tuesday, Nov. 23 when they host High Point at McAlister Field House. Tip-off is slated for 7:05 p.m.
UTEP 77, Western Carolina 65
El Paso, Texas - Mike Williams posted his third-straight, double-digit scoring effort with a season-best 18 points for Western Carolina, but it was not enough as UTEP downed the Catamounts, 77-65, in the Legends Classic Regional Round meeting Saturday night at the Don Haskins Center.
UTEP's Randy Culpepper made all four of his 3-point attempts en route to scoring 24 points to lead the Miners to the victory. Culpepper triggered a 14-0 run with eight-straight points as UTEP (2-1) scored the last five points of the first half and the first nine of the second, turning a 32-30 lead into a 46-30 cushion.
Three other Miners scored in double figures. Jeremy Williams and Julyan Stone chipped in with 11 points each and Christian Polk added 10. Stone has scored in double figures in three-straight games for the second-time in his UTEP career, tying his personal best streak in the process.
WCU's Williams finished 7-for-16 shooting with a pair of 3-pointers and three steals. He was joined in double figures by junior Keaton Cole with 10 points. The Toronto, Ontario, native bounced back from a 1-for-9 shooting performance at DePaul with a 3-for-5 night and was a perfect 3-for-3 from long-range.
Senior Blake Gallagher and redshirt freshman Trey Sumler both added in seven points for the Catamounts which concluded their three-game road swing to open the season.
WCU leading scorer Harouna Mutombo was held to just five points on 2-of-9 shooting while senior Richie Gordon was limited to two points with him and freshman Preston Ross tying for the team-leading six rebounds.
Despite holding just a one rebound edge, 33-to-32, UTEP dominated the painted area in terms of points scored by a 48-to-14 tally. WCU on the other hand converted 23 Miner turnovers into 25 points in the losing effort.
Western Carolina (1-2) returns home to open its 2010-11 home schedule on Monday, Nov. 20 against the Warren Wilson Owls. Tip-off of the first-ever meeting between the two schools is scheduled for 7:00 pm in the Ramsey Center.
The Catamounts will then travel to Williamsburg, Va., for the sub-regional round of the Legends Classic at William & Mary, facing Mercer (Nov. 26), Gardner-Webb (Nov. 27) and the host Tribe (Nov. 28) next weekend.