UNC Greensboro 59, The Citadel 53

CHARLESTON, S.C. - Ben Stywall broke the school record for rebounds in a season and finished with 19 points and 14 rebounds as UNC Greensboro knocked off The Citadel, 59-53, at McAlister Field House in Saturday afternoon men's basketball action.

Stywall, a senior from Charlotte, N.C., recorded his 13th double-double of the season, shooting 8-for-10 from the floor and surpassing Eric Cuthrell's mark for rebounds in a season. Stywall now has 286 rebounds this season, surpassing Cuthrell's mark of 284 in 1994-95. Stywall's 13 double-doubles is one shy of Kyle Hines' single-season school mark.

The Spartans used a 17-4 run midway through the second half and held The Citadel to just 12 points over the final 12:44. UNCG kept the Bulldogs off-balance all day long by switching defenses, including a confusing zone that kept The Citadel out of rhythm.

Mikko Koivisto added 18 points for UNCG (6-21, 5-11), which snapped the Bulldogs' five-game winning streak. The Citadel had also won four in a row at home.

UNCG, which snapped a five-game losing streak, tied a season-low with just seven turnovers in the contest. UNCG also had a 41-24 advantage on the glass, including 15 offensive rebounds. The Spartans held a 23-9 rebounding advantage in the second half, limiting The Citadel to just one offensive board.

Austin Dahn led The Citadel with 17 points and Cameron Wells added 14 points, six rebounds and eight assists.

The Spartans held the Bulldogs without a field goal for eight minutes in the first half to overcome some of its own early sluggish offense. In a first half that features 11 lead changes, UNCG managed to take a 24-23 lead into the locker room by committing just two turnovers in the first 20 minutes. UNCG shot 10-for-26 from the floor in the opening half, while The Citadel was just 9-for-25.

Both teams found a rhythm early in the second half, UNCG knocking down 4-of-6 and Citadel 3-of-6 to open things up. Mikko Koivisto's three-pointer from the left corner with 16:26 to play was UNCG's first trey of the afternoon and gave the Spartans a 33-28 lead.

But that was UNCG's last field goal for the next five minutes and the Bulldogs responded with a 13-2 run to retake the lead. Austin Dahn's three-pointer capped the run and gave the Bulldogs a 41-35 lead, their
biggest to that point, with 12:44 to go.

The Spartans climbed back in it with three straight three-pointers by Koivisto, Kyle Randall and Kendall Toney, to claim a 44-43 lead with 9:10 to play. That sparked a 17-4 burst by the Spartans that gave them a lead they would not surrender. Stywall chipped in with six straight points in the run.

Despite going 15-for-23 from the line on the day, the Spartans made free throws when it counted. UNCG was 7-for-8 from the line in the final two minutes to seal the win.


Davidson 61, Furman 58

DAVIDSON, N.C. -  Davidson freshman Jake Cohen hit two free throws with 3.1 seconds left on the clock, and Justin Dehm¹s buzzer-beating, 40-foot, 3-point try was off the mark as the Wildcats took a 61-58 Southern Conference men¹s basketball victory in Belk Arena Saturday afternoon.

Cohen led the Wildcats (14-13, 9-6 SoCon) with 14 points and added four rebounds, while senior Will Archambault scored 12 points off the bench. Freshman JP Kuhlman posted 10 points and a career-high seven rebounds, and junior Brendan McKillop tallied eight points and three assists.

Dehm led the Paladins (12-15, 6-10 SoCon) with 22 points after hitting a career-best six 3-pointers. Amu Saaka posted nine points and five rebounds, Bryson Barnes had nine points and Darryl Evans scored eight.

After holding a double-digit lead with 5:06 to play, the Wildcats had to grind out the win on the defensive end. Consecutive 3-pointers by Evans and Barnes made the score 57-55 with 1:24 to play.

Davidson could not score on its next two offensive possessions, but the Wildcats dug in on the defensive end. Saaka missed a runner, and Cohen blocked a Dehm shot on a drive to the basket, got the rebound and was fouled with nine seconds left.

The rookie made both free throws for a 59-55 Davidson lead, but Dehm and the Paladins were not finished yet. His triple from the wing brought Furman within one point, and Jordan Miller was forced to foul Cohen with 3.1  remaining. Cohen dropped in another pair from the charity stripe, and Dehm's last-gasp effort bounced off the rim.

Davidson scored the first 11 points of the game as five different Wildcats made baskets. Furman came roaring back as Dehm made four triples, part of his 17 points in the first half, in a 16-0 Paladin run. The game went back and forth from there until the Wildcats scored the last five points of the frame to take a 34-30 cushion into the locker room at halftime.

Leading 34-32 early in the second half, a McKillop jumper sparked an 8-0 run as Davidson opened a 10-point lead. The game stayed even from there, and a Cohen layup made the score 53-41 with 5:50 left. But Dehm¹s layup sparked a 14-4 Furman run late in the contest as the Paladins trimmed the cushion to
two points with 1:24 to go.

The Wildcats forced 19 Furman turnovers and held leading scorers, Saaka (17.1 ppg) and Miller (14.4 ppg), to single digits. Archambault led a 22-12 Wildcat advantage in bench scoring, and Davidson¹s nine offensive boards turned into eight second-chance points.

Samford 60, Chattanooga 54

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. --- Despite trailing by as many as 13 points Saturday, the Samford University basketball rallied late for a thrilling 60-54 Southern Conference victory against the Chattanooga Mocs at the Pete Hanna Center. In the win, Samford's Jeffrey Merritt dropped in a career-high 18 points on a 6-of-8 shooting performance from the field.

Merritt, whose previous career high of 13 points was also registered against Chattanooga (13-15, 5-10 SoCon), knocked down 5-of-6 of his attempts from 3-point range, including his final five shots. The Bulldogs' 6-foot-6 sophomore from Oklahoma City, Okla., scored 11 of his career-best 18 points in the second half and also pulled down a team-high nine rebounds.

With Saturday's victory, Samford (11-16, 5-10 SoCon) snapped a six-game home losing streak in conference play and swept its annual home-and-home series with Chattanooga. Just 10 days earlier, the Bulldogs tallied a 78-54 triumph over the Mocs in Chattanooga, Tenn.

Samford is 7-6 when playing in the Pete Hanna Center this season, but only 2-6 in SoCon play. The Bulldogs are 4-8 on the road and 3-4 against conference opponents when playing away from Birmingham, Ala.

With only 3:37 remaining in Saturday's matchup, Chattanooga's Ty Patterson knocked down a free throw to give the Mocs a late 51-49 advantage.

Samford then came down and connected on back-to-back 3-pointers from Merritt and Trey Montgomery to take a quick 55-51 lead with 2:30 remaining. After Montgomery added a free throw to extend the Bulldogs' advantage to 56-51, Chattanooga's Ricky Taylor drained a 3-point field goal from the right corner to make the score 56-54.

Taylor, the Mocs' sophomore guard from Brownsville, Tenn., finished as the only Chattanooga player in double figures with 11 points. The Mocs shot 38.6 percent from the field Saturday, but were only 8-of-28 from beyond the arc (28.6-percent).

Samford turned in a 40-percent mark from the floor and was 11-of-31 from 3-point range (35.5 percent).

Following Taylor's 3-pointer, the Bulldogs gained possession with 44 seconds left and a 56-54 lead. Samford, knowing that time was on its side, ran down the clock to 20 seconds before running a play. At that point, Montgomery took control of the offense at the top of the key, rubbed off a pick at the 3-point line and drove down the left side of the lane for a clutch game-preserving layup.

On the shot, Montgomery rose high into the air with the ball in his left hand, skied past one Chattanooga defender and twisted past another Moc for the critical Samford basket. Following Chattanooga's final possession of the game, Montgomery then grabbed the rebound after Merritt blocked Keegan Bell's runner and threw a pass down court to Bryan Friday for the easy layup.

With Montgomery's driving layup and Friday's wide-open bucket, Samford closed the door on Chattanooga for its 60-54 victory.

Montgomery led all scorers Saturday and finished with 19 points on 6-of-13 shooting from the field. He was 2-for-7 from 3-point range and 5-of-7 from the free-throw line. Montgomery also tallied four rebounds, three assists and a steal.

Samford's Josh Davis, who scored a career-high 30 points against Chattanooga on Feb. 10, finished with 16 points, six rebounds and a pair of steals. He was 5-of-13 from the floor and 4-of-12 from 3-point range. Bryan Friday proved to be the only Samford player to score off the bench Saturday as the Mocs outscored the Bulldogs 18-5 in the category.

Chattanooga led by as many as 13 points in the first half and took a 28-24 lead into halftime. Samford caught fire in the second period and outscored the Mocs 36-26 in the final 20 minutes of play.

Wofford 82, Georgia Southern 76 (OT)

STATESBORO, Ga. - The Wofford men's basketball team defeated Georgia Southern 82-76 in overtime at Hanner Fieldhouse on Saturday afternoon. The Terriers overcame the tenacious full-court pressure defense by the Eagles and secured a bye in the upcoming Southern Conference Tournament.

Wofford has won eight in a row and is 21-8 on the season and 13-3 in the SoCon, which is tied for first with College of Charleston. Georgia Southern is 7-21 overall and 4-11 in the conference. The Terriers had five players in double-figures, led by Noah Dahlman with 21 points. Jamar Diggs added 15, with Junior Salters, Brad Loesing and Tim Johnson each with eleven points. Tim Johnson had twelve rebounds and Noah Dahlman had ten, as each had a double-double. The Eagles were led by Rory Spencer with 19 points and seven rebounds.

Tim Johnson scored the first four points for the Terriers on the way to a 7-4 lead four minutes into the game. Wofford was able to push the advantage to 17-12 after a jumper by Terry Martin at the ten minute mark. Antonio Hanson hit a three for the Eagles, but it was matched by Junior Salters at the other end for a 26-18 score at 6:35.

Georgia Southern added another three to make it a 26-21 game, but the Terriers scored the next six points to take a 32-21 lead at 3:21. The Eagles had three pointers by Antonio Hanson and Colby Wohlleb in the final minute as they cut the lead to 33-29 at the half.

The Terriers opened the second half with an 8-0 run the included two three pointers by Junior Salters and a lay-up by Tim Johnson to take a 41-29 lead just two minutes into the half that forced the Eagles to call timeout. Georgia Southern scored the next five points to cut the lead back to 41-34. The teams traded buckets and at the first media time out the score was 45-38 in favor of the Terriers.

The Eagles scored the next five points to cut the lead to 45-43 after a three by Colby Wohlleb. Wofford pushed the lead back to six points after back-to-back buckets from Noah Dahlman for a 50-44 score at the 12:58 mark. The Eagles would then use a 9-0 run that began with a three by Colby Wohlleb to take the lead at 53-50 with nine minutes in the half.

After a technical foul called on Tim Johnson and two made free throws, the Eagles had a 55-52 advantage with 7:56 on the clock. The lead was five for Georgia Southern, but Noah Dahlman added a traditional three-point play to cut it to 57-55 with 4:44 remaining. The Eagles pushed the lead back to four points, but Noah Dahlman made it a one-point game at 62-61 with 2:45 on the clock after two free throws. With the Eagles holding a three point lead, Jamar Diggs hit a three to tie the game at 63 with 1:38 remaining. Wofford got the ball back, but turned it over with a shot clock violation with two seconds left. A last second shot by the Eagles missed and the game went to overtime.

In the extra period, Wofford scored first and it was matched by the Eagles for a 68-68 game. The Terriers ran off the next six points, including four b Noah Dahlman, for a 74-68 lead with three minutes on the clock. Wofford was able to take a 77-70 lead after a two-and-one by Brad Loesing. The Terriers hit five-of-six free throws in the final ninety seconds to secure the 82-76 victory.

Noah Dahlman scored in double-figures for the 29th time this season and has a streak of 42 games with ten or more points. Terry Martin and Krzysztof Janiszewski were called for a double technical at 4:42 in the first half. It was the first overtime game of the season for the Terriers.


Appalachian State 81, Tennessee Tech 68

BOONE, N.C. - Donald Sims scored 10-straight Mountaineer points in the second half to secure an 81-68 win for Appalachian State University men's basketball against Tennessee Tech in the ESPNU BracketBusters event on Saturday evening. 

The Golden Eagles (13-16) cut a double-figure ASU lead down to four points with 13 minutes to play in the contest before Kellen Brand scored on back-to-back possessions to spark a 10-2 run and regain a comfortable lead. 

From there, Appalachian (17-11) sank 12 of its final 14 free throw attempts and never let TTU come any closer than seven points in the game's last 10 minutes. 

Sims scored 14 of ASU's last 23 points in the game on eight free throws and pair of three-pointers. He and Jeremi Booth each knocked down five treys on the night as the team was 12-of-22 from downtown. The 12 longballs and the team's 54.5 shooting percentage from long range were the second-highest marks of the season for the Apps.

Sims finished the game with 25 points on 5-of-11 shooting and two assists. He drained all 10 free throw attempts to extend his season-long streak to 42 consecutive foul shots. 

All 15 of Booth's points came on seven three-point attempts.  The junior's point total was the highest since he matched a career high with 21 points at Chattanooga last month. 

Brand and Isaac Butts also reached double figures for Appalachian, as Brand finished with 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting. Butts sank 7-of-10 shots for 15 points and a team-high eight rebounds. The junior added three steals, two blocks and a pair of assists in 34 minutes on the court. 

For the Golden Eagles, Kevin Murphy led the way with 25 points on 7-of-13 shooting and a game-high five assists. Elijah Muhammed pulled in a team-high seven rebounds for Tennessee Tech, as the visitors owned a 30-27 margin on the boards. 
Overall, Appalachian shot 54.2 percent from the floor and 60 percent in the second half while TTU managed a 45.3 percent clip, including just 4-of-12 shots from beyond the arc. 

The win was just ASU's second in four BracketBuster contests and the first at home. ASU fell by two points at Winthrop last season and by a buzzer beater against Niagara two seasons ago. 

Elon 84, Gardner-Webb 79

BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. - Good basketball teams win the ugly games and the Elon men's basketball team did just that, holding off a scrappy Gardner-Webb team, 84-79, in an ESPNU BracketBusters contest at Paul Porter Arena on Saturday night. The game featured 51 total fouls, 63 free throw attempts and 38 turnovers, not to mention multiple game stoppages for shot clock malfunctions. Elon (8-19) has won four of its last six contests heading into the final week of the regular season. The Runnin' Bulldogs dropped their fourth straight contest, falling to 7-20 on the year.
 
"Anytime you go on the road, particularly against a non-conference opponent that you aren't very familiar with, it is going to be difficult," Elon head coach Matt Matheny said. "We didn't start the game very well, but we bounced back. Our team has learned that you can never predict how things will go, but nothing can phase this machine we are building. We did this well enough to build a 17-point lead, didn't do it as well late, but held on to win."
 
Chris Long scored a game-high 24 points on 14-of-17 from the line while dishing off seven assists. Drew Spradlin drained 8-of-12 from the field for 18 points and added eight rebounds. TJ Douglas also chipped in 11 points on 3-of-6 from downtown. Adam Constantine had a solid night with nine points, nine boards and four blocks. Eight Phoenix players scored in the winning effort. Anton Silver's 21 points led three Bulldogs in double figures.  
 
Holding a 55-45 advantage with 11:45 to play, the Phoenix used a 10-3 run to build its biggest lead of the night, 65-48, at the 7:36 mark. Gardner-Webb turned up the pressure, implementing a full court press that frustrated the Phoenix. Elon turned the ball over six times before the final whistle and the Bulldogs made some big shots to make a late run. A quick 9-2 stretch by the home team cut Elon's advantage to 67-57 with 6:07 on the clock.
 
What happened over the final six minutes was a mix of turnovers, free throws and a couple of long Bulldog three-pointers that kept Gardner-Webb within striking distance. Still up 10 with 1:28 to go, Elon made only three of its next nine free throws as the Bulldogs cut it to 82-79 on a deep trey by Grayson Flittner with 11 ticks left. Long calmly nailed the final two tries from the charity stripe to secure the win for the Phoenix.
 
Elon turned the ball over an uncharacteristic 21 times after averaging only 7.7 miscues over the last three contests. The Phoenix shot only 60 percent (23-of-38) from the free throw line, but hit 50 percent (27-of-54) from the field. The Elon defense held Gardner-Webb to a 39 percent (27-69) shooting performance. Despite being down 17-10 on the boards early in the first half, the Phoenix finished the game with a 41-40 edge.
 
In the first half, Gardner-Webb jumped on top 6-2 before five straight Spradlin points gave Elon the upper hand, 7-6, at 14:39. The guard scored the first nine points of the night for the Phoenix.
 
The Runnin' Bulldogs went on a quick 6-0 run before Spradlin nailed a triple to spark a 19-5 stretch that put Elon back in the driver's seat, 26-17, with five minutes to play. The Phoenix would never trail again in the contest. After opening play hitting only three of its first 11 field goal attempts, Elon closed the half 12-of-22 from the floor and shooting 45.5 percent for the half.  
 
Elon will play three Southern Conference games in the next seven days, beginning with a home game against North Division leader Appalachian State on Monday, February 22 at 7 p.m.


College of Charleston 85, George Mason 83