Appalachian State 71, Robert Morris 66
BOONE, N.C. - Donald Sims tallied 23 points to lead four players in double figures as Appalachian State University men's basketball remained perfect at home with a slim 71-66 win against defending Northeast Conference champion Robert Morris on Saturday. The senior hauled in four rebounds and was 12-of-14 from the free throw line on the night.
The Mountaineers broke open a one-point game with 11-straight points in the second half, and held a comfortable cushion until the Colonials rallied back in the final minutes.
Appalachian (4-4) worked up to a 16-point lead with 6:23 remaining before the Colonials (4-6) chopped it to four points with a minute to play and got as close as 69-66 with 33 seconds on the clock.
The Apps scored their final nine points of the game from the free throw line, led by four foul shots from Omar Carter. ASU was a shaky 64 percent (9-of-14) at the stripe down the stretch, but hauled in three defensive rebounds on RMU's final four missed shots to solidify the win.
Carter finished with 14 points, three rebounds and a block, and was 8-of-10 from the foul line in the contest.
ASU shot 40.8 percent in the game and sank just 3-of-16 three-point attempts, compared to 48.2 percent shooting from RMU. ASU was 28-of-40 from the free throw line, coming just one foul shot attempt shy of the season high.
Andre Williamson nearly notched a double-double with 10 points and eight rebounds to accompany an assist and a powerful block. Jeremi Booth made his third-straight start and reached 10 points for a third game in a row as he added a season-high six rebounds.
The Apps were without assist-leader Mitch Woods and big man Petey Hausley due to injury, but were bolstered by Anthony Breeze, who played 22 minutes off the bench in his season debut.
Breeze provided a spark for the Apps with six points and eight rebounds in his first game since transferring from Coastal Carolina following the 2008-09 campaign.
ASU won the war on the boards with a 39-29 advantage and turned 12 offensive rebounds into 17 second-chance points. RMU scored five second-chance points on five offensive boards.
Russell Johnson led the Colonial offense with 26 points on 11-of-18 shooting in 34 minutes before fouling out. He also grabbed a team-best six rebounds. Johnson was just one of several RMU players to find foul trouble as the visitors committed 28 penalties to ASU's 13.
ASU was held without an assist in the first half and dished out a season-low six in the contest. The Apps were also only able to swipe two steals, though RMU turned the ball over 15 times.
The Mountaineers' brief homestand ends as the squad thaws out at the Cancun Governor's Cup next week. ASU tips off the tournament on Wednesday, Dec. 22 with an 8:30 p.m. contest against Colorado State.
Samford 80, Asbury 67
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. --- Despite a sluggish 12-minute span to open Saturday's game, the Samford University basketball team rallied back from an early 14-point deficit to defeat the Asbury University Eagles 80-67 in a non-conference contest held at the Pete Hanna Center.
The Bulldogs' 80-point outburst was their highest scoring performance of the 2010-11 campaign, surpassing a 79-point outing they achieved in a historic 79-68 victory at Auburn earlier this season.
"We started off the game playing very lackadaisical," said Samford head coach Jimmy Tillette. "We weren't focused, we weren't energized and the crowd wasn't really into the game. We had to provide our own energy, but the area I thought we were really deficient in was our defensive rebounding. Asbury got 14 offensive rebounds against us and they also shot the ball well early."
Samford (7-4) only connected on 3-of-13 3-point field-goal attempts in the first half and trailed Asbury University (6-5), 23-9, at the 9:34 mark in the opening period. The Eagles knocked down five 3-point baskets in the first 11 minutes of the game and were paced by Phillip Morrison's 15 first-half points. Asbury's senior guard was 5-of-6 from the field in the opening half.
Despite the Bulldogs' slow start, senior Josh Davis knocked down a 3-point basket with 3:50 left in the first period to give Samford its first lead of the contest at 28-27.
Davis, the Bulldogs' 6-foot-4 sharpshooter from Lubbock, Texas, finished the game with a team-high 22 points on a 7-of-9 shooting performance from the field. He also knocked down 5-of-7 attempts from beyond the arc and grabbed a trio of rebounds.
Following Davis' 22 points, redshirt freshman Drew Windler also boosted the Bulldogs' offense with a career-high 17 points on 6-of-11 shooting. Samford's agile 6-foot-9 center from South Milwaukee, Wis., entered the game ranked third in the Southern Conference in 3-point shooting and knocked down 3-of-5 of his attempts from long range Saturday. He also pulled down four rebounds and handed out four assists.
Samford's Jeffrey Merritt and Gregg Wooten also scored in double figures against Asbury University. Merritt played a team-high 33 minutes and finished with 14 points and seven rebounds, while Wooten came off the bench to score 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field.
As a team, Samford shot 55.8 percent from the floor and 41.7 percent from 3-point range. The Bulldogs came into the game as the No. 6-ranked team in the nation averaging 9.8 3-point field goals per contest and added 10 against Asbury, seven of which were scored in the second half of play.
The Bulldogs fought back from their early 23-9 deficit to take a 36-33 lead into the intermission. Wooten led the way with nine points for Samford in the first half.
To open the second period, the Bulldogs' lead continued to fluctuate between four and six points until Wooten stole a pass and scored on an easy layup, Josh Bedwell knocked down a post-up jumper and Windler drained a 3-point shot from the top of the key. With the offensive flurry, Samford garnered a 62-49 lead with 7:22 remaining in the game.
Down the stretch, Asbury used a 3-pointer from Morrison to cut the Bulldogs' lead to 68-60 with 4:46 to play. Samford's Davis then answered with three 3-pointers and Windler added another shot from long range to give the Bulldogs their final 80-67 triumph.
Asbury, which was averaging 99 points per game in its previous five outings, was held to 67 points Saturday, but shot 40 percent from 3-point range. Sophomore Adam Delph led all scorers in the game with 26 points on 8-of-11 shooting, while Morrison followed with 20 points and three rebounds. Delph knocked down a trio of 3-point baskets, as did his senior teammate Jamal Morris.
Samford's Bedwell turned in a good game off the bench as he finished with seven points, four assists, three steals and a rebound. The Bulldogs' native of Hartselle, Ala., shot 2-of-3 from the field and 2-for-2 from the free-throw line.
The Samford University basketball team will next be in action Monday at 8 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs begin a two-game, pre-Christmas road trip against the USTA Roadrunners at the UTSA Convocation Center (4,080) in San Antonio, Texas.
Wofford 79, High Point 65
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - After building a 27-point lead at the half, the Wofford College men's basketball team defeated High Point 79-65 on Saturday night at Benjamin Johnson Arena. The Terriers shot 70 percent from the floor in the first half and led by as many as 33 points early in the second half of the contest.
Wofford is 5-6 on the season and High Point is 5-4 overall. The Terriers were led by Noah Dahlman and Kevin Giltner with 18 points each, Tim Johnson added a team-high eight rebounds and 14 points, while Brad Loesing dished out eight assists with eleven points. The Panthers were led by Nick Barbour with 18 points and Shay Shine with 17 points.
"I thought we were playing as a unit aggressively without fouling and they turned it over a few times which helped as we put together a great start," said head coach Mike Young. "Our passing was dead on as we compiled a lot of assists. We were very unselfish and we got better. We needed a night like this. I look forward to a couple days of practice then head up to Richmond for a couple games."
The Terriers got off to a great start in the contest, scoring the first 16 points. High Point got on the board with two free throws at 11:13 in the first half and added their first bucket with 10:22 on the clock for an 18-4 score. Wofford continued to build a lead and were up 28-8 after a bucket and free throw by Terry Martin at 6:48.
A three by Kevin Giltner with 41 seconds left in the half made it a 41-14 game. At the break, Wofford had a 43-16 advantage. The Terriers were 70.8% from the floor, while the Panthers were shooting 28.6% in the first half.
In the second half, Wofford scored the first six points and had a 49-16 lead after a three by Cameron Rundles at the 17:05 mark. The Panthers answered with a 16-4 run over the next five minutes to cut the lead to 53-32. A three by Kevin Giltner made it a 58-32 game with 10:34 on the clock.
The Panthers cut the lead to 64-45 with 6:31 left in the game, but Wofford went on a quick 6-0 run for a 70-45 advantage with 4:48 on the clock. In the final minutes of the game, High Point was able to chip away and made it an eleven-point game after a three by Xavier Martin with 29 seconds left. Wofford scored the final three points in the contest for the 79-65 final score.
After taking a ten-day break, the Terriers will return to action in the Richmond Marriott Holidays on the Hardwood Classic. On December 29, Wofford will face Virginia Commonwealth at 7:30 pm and on December 30 will face either Cornell or New Hampshire at 5:00 pm.
Furman 60, North Florida 49
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Furman rallied from a 10-point first half deficit to claim its fourth consecutive win with a 60-49 triumph over the University of North Florida on Saturday evening at the UNF Arena in Jacksonville, Fla.
Senior Jordan Miller scored a game-high 19 points and sophomore Brandon Sebirumbi posted career-bests with 16 points and four assists as the Paladins improved to 7-2 on the season and claimed their fourth road victory of the 2010-11 campaign. The loss dropped UNF to 4-7 on the season.
Trailing 40-37 with under 11 minutes remaining, Furman erupted on a 15-1 run that put the Paladins in control. Miller opened the spurt with a three-pointer to knot the game at 40-40. Following an Ospreys free throw, the Paladins reeled off 12 straight points, highlighted by three baskets from Sebirumbi, to grab a 52-41 advantage with less than four minutes to play.
Furman held North Florida to just 28.6% shooting in the second half and limited the Ospreys to only 49 points, the lowest total by a Paladin opponent this season. The Paladins, playing without second leading scorer Noah States, got just eight points from top scorer Amu Saaka, but converted on 15-of-22 trips to the foul line. North Florida managed just six points in nine trips to the charity stripe.
North Florida built an early 19-9 lead and carried a 27-23 cushion into intermission after connecting on 12-of-24 first half field goal attempts. Furman, which shot 44.4% (20-45) from the field on the night, made good on 47.6% of its second half shot attempts while sinking 15-of-21 free throws in the final period to power past the homestanding Ospreys.
Miller buried four treys to pace the Paladins' offense while Sebirumbi was 7-of-9 shooting from the field. Point guard Darryl Evans added seven points, all at the foul line, and grabbed a career-high eight rebounds.
Andres Diaz led the Ospreys with 14 points and Parker Smith added 10 off of the bench.
Furman returns home for the first time since December 1, when it hosts the University of South Carolina on Wednesday evening at Timmons Arena. Tip-off against the Gamecocks is slated for 7 p.m.
Dayton 71, Western Carolina 60
DAYTON, Ohio - Richie Gordon scored six-straight points as a part of a 12-to-4 Western Carolina spurt that erased an 11-point deficit, pulling the Catamounts to within three, 61-58, with four minutes remaining in regulation. However, Dayton responded with 10 unanswered points including 8-of-10 from the free throw line to hold off the Catamounts, 71-60, Saturday night in front of 12,338 at the UD Arena.
Dayton's Chris Wright matched a career-high with 30 points including 10 from the free throw line to lead two Flyers in double figures in securing the win, improving to 7-1 at home on the year. WCU dropped its fifth-straight amidst its current seven-game road swing, matching its longest winless drought since the 2006-07 season.
Consecutive 3-pointers by redshirt freshman Trey Sumler and redshirt junior Harouna Mutombo sparked the Catamount run, with Gordon then taking over. After a turnover on an inbounds play, Gordon was whacked across the jaw by Wright who was attempting to start the Flyer fast break. Upon further review, the officials charged Wright with an intentional foul putting Gordon on the free throw line.
Gordon buried both free throws, and then converted consecutive jumpers to close the deficit to just three, 61-58, with 3:53 showing on the game clock. However, the Catamounts would only manage one additional field goal the remainder of the game while the Flyers pulled away from the free throw line.
Sumler scored 13 points in the second half to pace a trio of Catamounts in double figures with 15 points, adding a team-high tying five rebounds and swiping three steals. Gordon and senior Mike Williams both finished with a dozen points apiece with Williams, who also dished out three assists and made a pair of steals, reaching double figures for the 11th time in the first 13 games.
Mutombo chipped in eight points and three assists while freshman Brandon Boggs finished with seven points and five boards after returning to the WCU starting lineup.
In addition to Wright, Dayton (8-3) got 15 points and seven rebounds from Chris Johnson while Josh Benson and Juwan Staten both tallied eight points with the latter dishing out nine assists.
Western Carolina (4-9) jumped out to a 5-0 lead out of the blocks before the Flyers managed to knot the game for the first time at nine. The game remained close with neither team able to build more than a five-point lead. The Catamounts reclaimed their largest lead of five, 27-22, with two minutes remaining before the half, but Dayton scored five-unanswered points including a jumper at the buzzer to tie the game at 27 at intermission.
After the break, the Flyers seized control of the see-saw affair, taking the lead for good at the 17-minute mark. Dayton took its first double-digit lead at the 7:24 mark, setting up WCU's rally before closing the game from the charity stripe.
All told, the game was tied eight times and saw five lead changes.
Western Carolina will enjoy a 10-day break for the Christmas holiday before returning to action on Tuesday, Dec. 28 at mountain-rival, UNC Asheville. Tip-off from the Justice Center is set for 7:00 pm.
South Alabama 68, Georgia Southern 58
STATESBORO, Ga. - South Alabama overcame a 13-point halftime deficit en route to a 68-58 win over the Eagles Saturday at Hanner Fieldhouse. Redshirt-freshman Augustine Rubit posted a double-double, scoring 12 of his game-high 18 points in the second half for the Jaguars and added 16 rebounds. Georgia Southern freshman Jelani Hewitt had 13 points to lead the Eagles in scoring for the third time this year. Eric Ferguson had six rebounds to lead the Eagles.
"It is evident that we are not playing as a team right now," said Eagles Head Coach Charlton Young. "We have to care about defending and rebounding and stop caring about individual numbers. Once we make defense and rebounding a priority, everything else will start to fall in place."
The Eagles shot 60.9 percent from the field, picking up 22 points off South Alabama turnovers in the first half, but could not continue with that performance in the second half. South Alabama began cutting into Georgia Southern's lead right out of the locker room as a 12-0 run by the Jaguars made it a one-point game in the first three minutes. Plagued with poor field goal shooting in the second half, the Eagles saw their lead dissipate as solid shooting by South Alabama tied the game at 51 all. Rubit slid into the lane for a layup to give South Alabama a 53-51 lead with 7:06 left in the game. The Jaguars would hold off the Eagles for the win.
The Jaguars presence on the boards in the second half was also a key component as South Alabama outrebounded Georgia Southern 25-14 to help spark 14 points in the paint and 12 points off second-chance opportunities. The Eagles trimmed the lead to two as Ferguson had a layup and Cameron Baskerville added a free throw with three and a half minutes to play. Jaguar free throws in the final minute pushed the lead back out to double digits.
Ben Drayton III and Ferguson joined Hewitt in double-figure scoring as Drayton finished the game with 12 points and Ferguson had 10. Drayton and teammate Rory Spencer each had five rebounds.
South Alabama took a four-point lead to start the game before the Eagles came back with a dunk by Ferguson and layup and free throw by Baskerville to set the score at 8-6, Eagles. Marvin Baynham's (Miami, Fla.) two free throws broke an 8-8 tie and Georgia Southern would maintain the lead until the second half. High-percentage shots and great defense propelled a 20-6 run by Georgia Southern to put the Eagles up 36-21 with three and a half minutes left in the first. The Eagles would get the lead up to 15 points one more time before the end of the half. DeAndre Hersey scored for the Jaguars as time expired to make it a 13-point game at halftime.
Georgia Southern returns to action Wednesday, December 22nd, as it plays host to former Trans America Athletic Conference rival Georgia State. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at Hanner Fieldhouse.