Western Carolina 79, Appalachian State 78
CULLOWHEE, N.C. - Mike Williams sank a 15-foot buzzer-beating jumper from the right wing on Saturday afternoon to lift Western Carolina to a one-point, 79-78, victory over arch-rival Appalachian State in Southern Conference action in the Ramsey Center.
Williams went eight minutes and 40 seconds between field goals in the second half, but came through in the clutch to post his 16th double-digit scoring effort in the 18 games this season, finishing with 10 points and a career-high tying six assists.
The win - WCU's fourth-straight overall on the year - halted a two-game drought for the Catamounts against the rival Mountaineers and pushed the Catamounts into sole possession of second place ahead of ASU in the SoCon North Division race behind Chattanooga. WCU improved to 8-10 overall on the year and 4-2 in league play.
Appalachian State's Marcus Wright gave the Mountaineers a one-point edge, 78-77, just inside of two minutes to play in regulation. Neither team was able to take advantage of good looks at the basket, combining to miss five shots prior to Williams' game winner. Richie Gordon and Williams both had looks from short range but couldn't find the bottom of the net. On the other end, post Andre Williamson missed two shots in the paint keeping the margin at just one point for the visitors.
Inside the final eight seconds, Gordon misfired from close-in on a would-be, go-ahead bucket, but redshirt junior Harouna Mutombo was able to force a jump ball tie-up on the offensive rebound and WCU retained possession with just over four seconds remaining.
Following a timeout, WCU lobbed the inbounds pass to Mutombo in the lane where he quickly fired a pass to the right wing to Williams. The Baton Rouge, La., native pump faked from beyond the arc to get his defender in the air, and then took two dribble steps and fired the mid-range jumper that swished through the bucket as the final horn sounded, sending the nearly 4,000 fans into a frenzy.
Redshirt freshman Trey Sumler led the Catamounts with 17 points including a pair of 3-pointers while Gordon finished with 16 points and nine rebounds, one shy of the double-double. The Atlanta, Ga., native also added a pair of assists and two steals. Rounding out WCU's double-digit scorers were Mutombo with a dozen and freshman Brandon Boggs with 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting.
With both starting guards Williams and Sumler battling foul trouble on the afternoon, junior Keaton Cole came off the bench to score seven points on 2-of-3 shooting for the Catamounts.
Saturday's game - the 174th all-time in the head-to-head series between WCU and ASU - saw 17 lead changes and 11 combined ties. Neither team was able to pull away with the largest lead on the afternoon of seven points for the Apps midway through the second half. Western Carolina used consecutive 3-pointers by Sumler to take a five-point edge, its largest lead of the day, early in the first half.
Consecutive Mountaineer dunks inside the final seconds of the opening 20 minutes turned a three-point WCU advantage into a one-point, 36-35, ASU edge at halftime.
After Appalachian managed a seven-point, 59-52, edge on a 3-pointer by Wright, the two squads traded buckets over the next five minutes before WCU was able to string together consecutive stops coupled with scores to close back in. Two free throws by Cole, a lay-up by Gordon and a jumper by Boggs amidst four different trips allowed the Catamounts to knot the game at 73 with four and a half to play.
Western Carolina claimed its first lead since the 14 minute mark of the second half on a Boggs lay-up with 2:32 to play, prompting a Mountaineer timeout. After the stoppage, Wright laid one in to see-saw the lead back the way of the black and gold, setting up the final two minute frenzy and Williams' heroics.
Appalachian State (7-9, 3-3 SoCon) had four players tally double digits led by Omar Carter with 19 points and Donald Sims with 18. Williamson finished with 14 points while Wright scored 10 on 4-of-5 shooting including a pair of 3-pointers.
Furman 74, Georgia Southern 56
STATESBORO, Ga. - Furman built a 19-point first half lead and weathered a late Georgia Southern run to claim a 74-56 Southern Conference men's basketball victory over the Eagles on Saturday afternoon at Hanner Fieldhouse.
Senior Amu Saaka guided the Paladins with 21 points while Darryl Evans and Justin Dehm poured in 14 apiece to help Furman improve to 12-5 overall and 4-2 in the SoCon with its first win in Statesboro since 2006. Georgia Southern dipped to 4-15 overall and 0-6 in league play.
Jordan Miller, Evans and Saaka buried back-to-back-to-back three-pointers to ignite a 20-2 run that gave Furman a 22-4 advantage on Dehm's trey with 11:52 left in the first half. Evans, who record all of his 14 points in the first half and collected a career-best five steals, drained consecutive threes down the stretch and recorded a steal to set up another basket as Furman extended its lead to 42-23 at the intermission.
Georgia Southern netted the first eight points of the second half to pull within 11 before Furman pushed the margin back to 17 at 55-38 when Bobby Austin finished a Furman run with a three-pointer with just under 13 minutes remaining. The Eagles chipped away at the deficit and cut the lead to six points at 60-54 with only 5:23 left when Rory Spencer scored nine straight points for GSU, but Dehm drained a three-pointer on the next possession to start a 10-0 Paladin run that Saaka capped with a trey at 2:44 to up the advantage to 70-54.
Furman shot 52.3 percent from the field, including a season-best 63.6 percent in the first half. The Paladins, who also got eight points and a game-high 10 rebounds from Noah States, managed a 28-26 edge on the boards and buried a season-best 13 three-pointers on 26 attempts.
Ben Drayton led Georgia Southern with 16 points and six rebounds while Spencer added 13 and Zuri James scored 12 points. The Eagles shot just 36 percent from the floor and made only 5-of-20 three-point attempts.
College of Charleston 87, The Citadel 66
CHARLESTON, S.C. - Four players scored in double figures including a game-high 29 points from Andrew Goudelock to lead College of Charleston to a 21-point win over The Citadel, 87-66, on Saturday afternoon before a sell-out crowd of 5,162 fans at Carolina First Arena.
It was sweet redemption for the Cougars (12-5, 5-0), and the Senior Class comprised of Goudelock, Donavan Monroe and Jeremy Simmons, who had lost their two previous meetings in the two-year-old arena to their cross-town rivals.
Goudelock, the No. 8 scorer in the nation averaging 23.1 points leading into the game, shot 10-of-18 from the field, 6-of-11 from three-point land and also dished out seven assists. It marked the third win in a row for the Cougars, who are off to an undefeated 5-0 start to Southern Conference play. They shot 48.4 percent from the floor and 41.9 percent from behind the arc to end the home court skid versus the rebuilding Bulldogs (5-13, 1-5).
Junior Antwaine Wiggins and Monroe added 12 points each, while Simmons had 10. CofC led by as many as 34 points on a three-pointer by freshman Jordan Scott with 3:43 remaining in regulation. The Cougars outrebounded The Citadel, 35-29, with sophomore Willis Hall grabbing nine boards. He scored nine of the team's first 12 points in the ballgame.
Cameron Wells led The Citadel with 26 points followed by Mike Groselle with 15.
Wofford 69, Davidson 64
DAVIDSON, N.C. - On Saturday night at Belk Arena, the Wofford College men's basketball team picked up a 69-64 win over Davidson College. The Terriers held a ten-point lead with five minutes remaining, but the Wildcats cut it to only two points in the final minute with three point shots.
Wofford is 8-9 on the season and 5-1 in the Southern Conference and Davidson is 8-9 overall and 2-4 in SoCon play. The Terriers were led by Cameron Rundles with 22 points, twenty of which were in the first half. Noah Dahlman had 13 points and seven rebounds. The Wildcats were led by J.P. Kuhlman with 14 points and Nik Cochran with eleven points.
The Wildcats scored first, but two three pointers by Cameron Rundles gave the Terriers an early 6-4 lead four minutes into play. Wofford used a quick 7-0 run that included a three by Kevin Giltner to take a 14-6 lead. Davidson scored the next four points to make it a 14-10 score with 11:30 left in the first half.
Cameron Rundles scored the next five points for Wofford for a 19-10 lead. The Terriers were able to extend the advantage to 25-14 with 8:17 on the clock after a lay-up off the glass by Noah Dahlman. The Wildcats picked up a three and made four free throws as they cut the lead to 29-25 with 3:25 remaining in the half. After making it a two-point game, Cameron Rundles hit a three, forced a turnover and then made a jumper with one second left in the half for a 34-27 lead at the break. Rundles scored 20 points in the first half.
To open the second half, the Wildcats scored with two free throws after an intentional foul. Four minutes into the half, the Terriers held on to a 38-33 lead. Terry Martin hit two free throws and Noah Dahlman followed with a lay-up to make it a 42-37 score at 12:39 in the second. Noah Dahlman then scored the next four points for the Terriers to push the lead to 47-36 just a minute later.
A jumper by Jamar Diggs at 8:38 gave the Terriers a 50-40 lead. The lead remained at ten at 53-43 at the six minute mark. The Wildcats scored the next four points to make it a 53-47 score, but Wofford answered with a three by Kevin Giltner at 3:05. Davidson then again scored the next four points to make it a 56-51 game with just two minutes left. Brad Loesing then hit a three from the corner to give the Terriers a 59-51 lead with just 1:35 on the clock.
Wofford had two free throws by Jamar Diggs for a 61-53 score, but Brandon McKillop hit a three for the Wildcats with 1:12 left in the game. Terry Martin hit two free throws, but Nik Cochran hit a three at the other end for a 63-56 game. After one free throw by Wofford, Cochran hit again from three for a 64-62 score with 46 seconds left. Brad Loesing hit two free throws with 33 seconds remaining for a 66-62 lead. The Terriers forced a turnover with 14 seconds left, but missed two free throws. The Wildcats hit a bucket to make it a 66-64 game and Terry Martin added a free throw with six seconds left for a three-point lead. A turnover by the Wildcats led to two free throws by Jamar Diggs to seal the win at 69-64.
Wofford shot 42.3 percent from the floor and was 53.8 percent from three-point range. From the free throw line, the Terriers were 64.3 percent. Davidson was 44.4 percent overall and was 30.8 percent from behind the arc. Rebounds were tied at 31 each and Wofford forced 16 turnovers.
The win was the third straight for Wofford over the Wildcats, marking the first three-game winning streak in the series for the Terriers since 1956-57. It also was the first time Wofford won back-to-back games at Davidson since 1955 and 1956.
Chattanooga 65, Samford 60
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- The Samford University basketball team nearly extended its winning streak against the Chattanooga Mocs to three-consecutive games Saturday as the Bulldogs almost overcame an early 13-point deficit at The McKenzie Arena. Despite Samford's rally, Chattanooga was able to remain undefeated in Southern Conference play and win its sixth straight league contest, 65-60.
With the loss, Samford (10-7, 2-3 SoCon) fell short against Chattanooga (10-8, 6-0 SoCon) for the first time since the semifinal round of the 2009 SoCon Tournament. Last season, the Bulldogs swept the season series between the teams, 78-54, in Chattanooga, Tenn., and 60-54 in Birmingham, Ala. The teams will next square off at the Pete Hanna Center on Senior Night, Feb. 26.
Samford finished Saturday's game with three players scoring in double figures. Senior Josh Bedwell led the Bulldogs' offense by tying his season-high of 21 points. Bedwell, a senior guard from Hartselle, Ala., finished 6-of-11 from the field and 5-of-10 from 3-point range. Samford sharpshooter was also a perfect 4-of-4 from the free-throw line.
The Bulldogs' Josh Davis and Jeffrey Merritt both chipped in with 10 points apiece. Merritt tallied his third double-double of the season as he also pulled down a team-best 10 rebounds. A native of Oklahoma City, Okla., Merritt entered Saturday's game ranked second in the SoCon with an average of 7.2 boards per game. Davis grabbed a season-high eight rebounds and knocked down a pair of key 3-point baskets.
Chattanooga was paced offensively Saturday by Chris Early and Omar Wattad. Both players finished with 17 points and combined to knock down eight of the Mocs' 11 3-pointers in the game. Wattad registered a 5-of-11 performance from beyond the arc, while Early went 3-of-6 from long range.
Ricky Taylor, Chattanooga's junior guard from Brownsville, Tenn., tallied a double-double for the Mocs as he finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Taylor also handed out a pair of assists and went 6-of-7 from the free-throw line.
Samford overcame its slow start to take a 46-45 lead in the game with 8:59 left to play. Andy King, the Bulldogs' senior center from Omaha, Neb., knocked down the basket to give his squad the lead with just under nine minutes to play in Saturday's contest. King finished with nine points and three assists as he knocked down a trio of 3-point baskets.
Following King's 3-pointer to give the Bulldogs the lead, Chattanooga's Wattad answered with a 3-point basket of his own to give the Mocs at 48-46 advantage.
Shortly after Wattad's 3-pointer, Samford's Merritt drove down the court on a fast break and was intentionally fouled by Chattanooga's Taylor with 8:15 to play. Merritt was unable to connect on either of the free throws and the Bulldogs forced up an errant 3-point basket on the accompanying possession.
With 2:50 left to play in the game, King knocked down another critical 3-point basket to trim the Mocs' lead to 54-53. Chattanooga's Early then responded with a 3-pointer on its next time down the court to make the score 57-53 with 2:26 remaining.
Samford wouldn't get any closer than three points down the stretch as the Mocs knocked down 8-of-9 free-throw attempts in the final 1:05 to play to hold on for the 65-60 victory.
The Bulldogs finished the game shooting 38.8 percent from the field, but only 31.6 percent from beyond the arc. Samford missed its first 13 attempts from 3-point range in Saturday's game, but knocked down 12-of-25 (48 percent) to close out the contest.
Chattanooga, the SoCon leader in rebounding, only out-rebounded the Bulldogs by five, 39-34, but outscored Samford 25-8 in points off turnovers. The Bulldogs committed 15 turnovers, while the Mocs finished with only 10 miscues.
Samford's bench outscored Chattanooga's bench, 15-4.
At the half, Chattanooga held a 30-25 lead in Saturday's game. Despite not hitting its first field goal until the 12:19 mark in the opening period, Samford fought back to only a five-point deficit at the intermission.
The Mocs opened the game with an early 13-0 lead as the Bulldogs didn't connect on their first 3-point basket until Bedwell drained a deep shot from the top of the key at 7:19 in the first half. Bedwell paced Samford in scoring in the opening period with 12 points. All four of his baskets came from beyond the arc in the first half.
Chattanooga was paced in scoring by Early's 10 points in the opening 20 minutes of play. Taylor added eight points for the Mocs as Wattad chipped in with six.