Chattanooga 65, Savannah State 63
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- Keegan Bell scored 17 of his game-high 20 points in the second half to key the Chattanooga Mocs (2-3) comeback win over visiting Savannah State (1-5) in the opening game of the Hoosier Classic Chattanooga Bracket. Bell's effort included a five-of-10 performance from three-point range.
His biggest shots came down the stretch. He hit two crucial threes inside the final four minutes of the game as he scored 11 points in the final 4:17.
SSU led through most of the game until Chris Early nailed a trey at 5:30 to give the Mocs their first lead, 52-51. The Tigers' Rashad Hassan answered from 15 feet just 20 seconds later to put SSU back up by one, 53-52.
Bell's two free throws with 4:17 to go put the Mocs back on top, 54-53, but it was tied at 54-all after Cedric Smith made one of two free throws at 3:54.
Bell hit a three at 3:21 at 3:21, but the Tigers managed to tie it again at 57, with 2:00 left on a Jyles Smith layup. A missed three-pointer for the Mocs and a turnover for SSU raised the drama to a fever pitch. Bell was up to the task making his fifth trey at 1:05 for the 60-57 advantage.
Daric Rudolph answered with his fifth three-pointer for SSU with 47 seconds to go to knot the score at 60-all. Bell got to the line and put UTC up for good, 62-60, with just 26 second remaining.
Dontay Hampton rebounded an errant Joshua Montgomery three-point attempt with 10 seconds to go and hit two at the charity stripe for a four-point lead, 64-60, but the Tigers would not go quietly into that good night.
Preston Blackmon dropped in a three-pointer with five ticks left and Bell stepped to the line with a 64-63 lead with 3.9 to go. He made one of two and a desperation three-point attempt by Montgomery was just off the mark for the 65-63 final.
Early and Drazen Zlovaric kept the Mocs in the game in the first half. Early's stat line included 15 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals, while Zlovaric chipped in 12 points and eight boards.
Rudolph had a team-high 15 for the Tigers, while Montgomery added 12. Hassan had 11 points and four rebounds.
Savannah State jumped out quickly on Chattanooga to open the game. SSU built a 15-point lead, 22-7, on a Rudolph trey at 10:09 and had the Mocs reeling. UTC chipped away getting as close as six, 24-18, on an Early three-pointer at 7:09.
Montgomery's trey with 36 to go in the half put the Tigers back up by 13, 35-22, but that's when the Bell show started. He hit his first trey from about 35 feet at the buzzer to give his team some momentum heading into intermission trailing 35-25.
While Bell had a season-high 20 points, the inside guys were pivotal to the win. Early (5-8) and Zlovaric (6-10) combined to shoot 11 of 18 from the floor, 61.1 percent. The remainder of the team struggled at 28.1 percent (9-28).
It was also a tale of two halves. SSU shot 50 percent (13-26) in the opening frame, just 38.5 percent (10-26) in the second. UTC made just 30 percent (9-30) in the first half, 55 percent (11-20) after the break.
Another key for the Mocs was forcing 20 SSU turnovers. Chattanooga scored 30 of its 65 points off those miscues, while the Tigers managed just 11 points off the Mocs 13 turnovers.
The Hoosier Classic Chattanooga Bracket continues Saturday with Savannah State meeting Gardner-Webb at 5 p.m. The Mocs and Bulldogs square off Sunday at 3 p.m.
College of Charleston 68, UNC Asheville 66
PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas - Senior Antwaine Wiggins rattled off eight-straight points in a crucial stretch in the final minutes of the second half to lead the College of Charleston men's basketball team to a close 68-66 decision over UNC Asheville in the Battle 4 Atlantis consolation game held Friday night at the Atlantis Resort's Imperial Arena.
Wiggins, who struggled the night before against UCF in the team's tournament opener, scored 17 of his game-high 23 points in the second half of play. He was one of three Cougars (4-1) in double figures next to a career-and season-best 14-point performance by freshman Adjehi Baru and 11 points from junior Andrew Lawrence.
It was a back-and-forth contest for the majority of both halves as the lead see-sawed on 10 occasions. CofC's largest lead was seven on a fast break layup by Lawrence, 49-42, with 10:50 remaining in regulation, while UNC Asheville's was six with nine minutes left in the first.
The Bulldogs (2-4) chipped away at the Wiggins' inspired lead with key three-pointers of their own from preseason Big South Conference Player of the Year Matt Dickey, Quinard Jackson and J.P. Primm to tie it up at 59-59 with 2:23 to go.
Freshman Anthony Stitt, who has been a surprise spark to the Cougars' offense in the last three games, threw up a gutty jumper from the corner courtesy of Lawrence for the 63-61 advantage with 44 seconds remaining.
UNC Asheville wouldn't go down without a fight, despite sending CofC to the free throw line within the final 30 seconds of the ballgame. The Cougars went 6-of-8 from the charity stripe leaving room for the Bulldogs to rally after Wiggins missed the front end of his free throws with five seconds on the clock.
Time expired as they became the third 2011 NCAA Tournament team in the last four games to fall to the hands of the Cougars.
UMKC 64, Wofford 58 (OT)
HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill.- The Wofford men's basketball team was defeated 64-58 in overtime on Friday afternoon by UMKC at Sears Centre Arena as part of the Chicago Invitational Challenge. The Terriers had a four-point lead late in regulation, but the Kangaroos tied it with ten seconds left and scored the first five points of overtime in the win.
Wofford is 2-3 on the season and UMKC is also 2-3 overall. The Terriers were led by Brad Loesing with 20 points. Lee Skinner had 13 points and eight rebounds, while Domas Rinksalis had ten points and a game-high nine rebounds. The Kangaroos were led by Reggie Chamberlain with 22 points, including 10-of-10 from the free throw line, and Trinity Hall with 16 points.
"We are guarding well and rebounding well and the guys are playing really hard, but the turnovers are a problem," said head coach Mike Young. "Every time out there is something to be learned and something to be taught from the situation. We were up four and I thought we started to play not to lose and let the ball get to the rim. We live and learn with this one and we have to clean some things up. We will come back and get after it tomorrow."
Wofford scored first but the game was tied at six with 16:34 on the clock, with all six points for the Terriers by Domas Rinksalis. The Kangaroos scored the next five points for an 11-6 lead, but Wofford answered and tied the game back at eleven at 10:41. Over the next six minutes, UMKC outscored the Terriers 9-3 for a 20-14 lead with 3:54 left in the half.
With the score 22-16 in favor of the Kangaroos, Brad Loesing scored the next four points to make it a two-point contest with 1:18 remaining. UMKC scored once more before the end of the half to take a 24-20 lead. In the first half, Wofford was only 8-of-25 from the floor and missed all eight three point attempts.
The Kangaroos scored first in the second half, but a bucket and free throw by Brad Loesing cut the lead to 26-23 with 18:12 on the clock. Wofford was able to take a 27-26 lead after a pair of free throws by Lee Skinner and the game was tied at 29 after a bucket by Kevin Giltner with 14:02 left in the second half. The Terriers built a 33-29 lead after a bucket by Lee Skinner two minutes later.
UMKC quickly regained the lead with a 6-0 run before a bucket by Kevin Giltner tied the game at 35 with ten minutes left in the half. The Kangaroos then added a 5-0 run before a shot by Lee Skinner cut the lead to 40-37 with 7:19 on the clock. Kevin Giltner made it a one point game, but Reggie Chamberlain hit a three for the Kangaroos for a 43-39 advantage.
Brad Loesing hit the first three of the day for the Terriers for a 44-43 lead with 3:04 left in the contest. The Kangaroos regained the lead, but another three by Brad Loesing gave Wofford a 47-45 advantage with 1:24 on the clock. Two free throws by Lee Skinner gave the Terriers a four point lead, but UMKC scored the final four points of regulation to send the game to overtime.
To begin the five minute overtime, Estan Tyler hit a three for the Kangaroos. Two free throws by UMKC made it a 9-0 run and a 54-49 lead with 3:35 left on the clock. Brad Loesing hit a three with less than thirty seconds remaining. However, the Terriers were outscored 15-9 in the extra period for a final score of 64-58.
Wofford shot 37.5 percent from the floor while UMKC shot 33.3 percent overall. The Terriers were 3-of-19 from three, while the Kangaroos were 7-of-24 from behind the arc. Wofford was 13-of-20 from the line and UMKC was 23-of-26 from the line. The Terriers had a 44-30 lead in rebounds, but had 21 turnovers in the contest.
The Terriers will conclude play in the Chicago Invitational Challenge on Saturday against Prairie View A&M at 12:30 p.m.
Northern Colorado 74, Western Carolina 57
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas - Brandon Boggs scored a career-high 35 points including 31 in the second half alone to lead Western Carolina, but Northern Colorado pulled away in the second half to hand the Catamounts a 74-57 loss in the 2011 South Padre Island Invitational held at the SPI Convention Center.
Connor Osborne scored a career-high 16 points while Mike Proctor and Tate Unruh added 10 points apiece for Northern Colorado which scored its first victory of the season.
Western Carolina concludes tournament play on Saturday afternoon with a 1:00 pm CT (2:00 pm ET) tip-off against Florida A&M. The Rattlers nearly rallied back from a double-digit deficit against the Southern Jaguars early on Friday before falling 64-61.
Boggs connected on a career-best 12 shots including a benchmark-setting five 3-pointers for Western Carolina, which dropped its third-straight game in the Invitational. He was the only Catamount to reach double figures as post classmate Tawaski King finished with seven points and seven rebounds. Senior Keaton Cole chipped in six points while Kenneth Hall - playing in his home state of Texas - blocked a pair of shots in the post.
The Catamounts' leading scorers entering the game - Harouna Mutombo and Trey Sumler - were limited to just seven points on 3-of-21 shooting in the loss. Sumler did swipe four steals and dish out a pair of assists.
Western Carolina (2-4) managed a three-point, 7-4, lead at the 16:16 mark of the first half on a jumper by Boggs. However, it would be the only Catamount field goal for nearly eight full minutes until Cole drained a 3-pointer with 8:23 remaining in the opening half. Northern Colorado used a 12-0 run during that same span, allowing the Bears to build a nine-point cushion.
During the eight-minute WCU drought, the Catamounts missed eight shots and committed three turnovers. Yet, Cole's trey closed the gap to just a six point deficit. Northern Colorado outscored WCU, 10-to-6, to close the half with a 10-point, 26-16, edge at halftime.
In the second half, Northern Colorado methodically stretched its advantage, pulling out by 19 points just five minutes into the closing 20 minutes. WCU only managed to trim the deficit to 14 on three separate occasions, but the Bears had the answers to prevent the would-be rallies.
Boggs connected on a jump shot with 8:13 left on the game clock to pull with 14, 52-38. However, UNC countered with a 13-to-6 spurt to take a game-high, 21-point lead three minutes later, and continued to hold off the Catamounts to score the victory.
WCU was outrebounded Friday afternoon 43-to-34, and were outscored in the paint, 36-to-6.
Clemson 59, Furman 49
CLEMSON, S.C. - Clemson's Milton Jennings posted career highs with 22 points and 14 rebounds to lead the Tigers past Furman, 59-49, in men's basketball action on Friday evening at Littlejohn Coliseum.
The forward connected on 7-of-12 shots from the floor and converted on 8-of-11 trips to the foul line as Clemson used a 23-6 run from the 6:30 mark of the first half to 14:28 remaining to erase an eight-point first half Paladins lead en route to its 28th consecutive victory over Furman.
The Paladins opened up a 22-14 lead with under seven minutes left in the first half on a three-pointer by Charlie Reddick, but Clemson limited the Furman to just one field goal the remainder of the period and Jennings scored eight of the Tigers' final 10 points of the half to knot the game at 24-24 at the break. Andre Young drained a pair of treys in the opening minutes of the second half and Jennings netted five points, including a layup with 14:28 to play, as Clemson grabbed a 37-28 lead.
With under nine minutes left, Reddick buried a three-pointer and Richard Brown converted on a pair of free throws with 7:35 remaining to cut the margin to just 46-42. Clemson, however, held the Paladins to just one field goal over the next five minutes and the Tigers made 4-of-6 free throws during the stretch to extend the margin.
Both teams shot just over 41% from the field, but Clemson managed a 26-10 edge in points in the paint and outscored the Paladins 13-6 on points off turnovers. The Tigers forced Furman into 15 miscues and made 15-of-20 free throws. The Paladins, who were out-rebounded 32-25, connected on 10-of-16 free throws.
Young netted three treys to join Jennings in double figures with 15 points while Devin Booker and Tanner Smith scored eight points apiece.
Bryant Irwin led Furman with 13 points and seven rebounds while Brown and Reddick each poured in nine points.
Furman continues its three-game road trip on Wednesday when it opens Southern Conference play at Elon. Tip-off at Alumni Gym in Elon, N.C., is set for 7 p.m.
NC State 82, Elon 67
RALEIGH, N.C. - The Elon men's basketball team had its three-game winning streak snapped, falling 82-67, to an aggressive NC State team in front of a rowdy crowd at historic Reynolds Coliseum on Friday. Phoenix (3-2) forward Lucas Troutman dropped a game-high 22 points and grabbed seven rebounds, but the Wolfpack (5-1) hit on all cylinders to keep Elon at bay.
The Pack, led by Lorenzo Brown's career-high 21 points and six assists, connected on 45.7 percent of its field goals. Elon had held its previous three opponents to under 33 percent shooting, but State hit the ground running from the opening tip and nailed 18-of-32 (56.3) in the first half. Scott Wood was a difference-maker in the game as well, coming off the bench and canning 5-of-6 from downtown.
Elon also got double figure scoring from Sebastian Koch, who hit 3-of-5 from beyond the arc for 12 points. He pulled down a team-high eight rebounds and dished off four assists. Jack Isenbarger added a season-best 11 points in 15 minutes of action.
"They played better than we did and what's disappointing for me is that we didn't play as well as we can play," noted Elon head coach Matt Matheny. "But I'm not certain if we had played better, that it would have meant we would have won the game. They dictated first in transition and (Lorenzo) Brown was very, very good - the way he pushed the ball, the way he made the right decisions from himself and for others. And then they dominated the glass. We will learn from these things and get better."
The Phoenix struggled to contain the NC State big men on the glass as the Pack finished the contest with a 49-33 advantage on the boards, including a 22-6 mark in the second half.
A Drew Spradlin old-fashioned three-point play gave Elon a 5-1 lead to open the game, but the Phoenix would quickly go cold from the field. A 20-2 NC State run that spanned eight minutes gave the Pack a comfortable 21-7 lead with 10:33 on the clock.
Rookie Austin Hamilton drove the lane and finally converted for the Phoenix, then forced a turnover in the backcourt and trimmed the lead to 10, 21-11. The teams traded triples before Koch knocked down a bucket from downtown to pull Elon within seven, 24-17, at 8:33.
For each Phoenix spurt, State seemed to have an answer, as the home team scored the next six points and stretched its lead back to double figures. The Pack took a 43-32 lead into the locker room.
State scored the first five points of the second half and forced a quick Elon timeout with the score 48-32 in favor of the hosts. Troutman did his best to get the Phoenix within striking distance, at one point scoring six straight to make it 55-44 with 14:07 on the clock.
NC State seemed to always have an answer, bringing a raucous crowd to its feet with transition dunks or a Wood bomb. Wood's fifth triple would give State its largest lead at 78-53 with under six minutes to play and the Wolfpack remained unbeaten at Reynolds since its move to the RBC Center in 1999.
Elon will get an early start to Southern Conference action on Wednesday, November 30 when the Furman Paladins visit Alumni Gym for a 7 p.m. tip.