Davidson 70, UNC Wilmington 67
WILMINGTON, N.C. - Davidson guard JP Kuhlman hit a pair of free throws with 1.2 seconds left to seal a 70-67 non-conference men's basketball victory over UNC Wilmington at Trask Coliseum Saturday afternoon.
With the Wildcats clinging to a 68-66 lead, UNCW's Cedrick Williams was fouled trying for a putback off an Adam Smith miss with 2.7 seconds left. Williams made the first free throw but missed the second. Kuhlman got the
rebound and was fouled.
After the junior calmly sank two free throws, a long, last-chance heave by the Seahawks was on line but well short of the hoop.
Kuhlman finished with 21 points and seven rebounds, and De'Mon Brooks collected 14 points and seven boards for the Wildcats (4-1). Nik Cochran scored 13, Chris Czerapowicz netted nine, and Clint Mann added eight and four rebounds.
Keith Rendleman led the Seahawks (0-4) with 21 points and nine rebounds, and Adam Smith scored 14. Williams finished with 10 points, four rebounds and five blocked shots.
The 'Cats had to overcome major foul trouble as Jake Cohen, Brooks and Mann all fouled out with over two minutes left in the game.
With the game tied, Czerapowicz made a runner to put Davidson ahead 68-66 with 2:06 to play. Neither team could score from that point until Williams' free throw.
UNCW jumped out to a 10-4 lead to start the game as the Seahawks opened the contest 6-for-8 from the floor and Davidson committed four turnovers. A 10-2 run, capped by a pair of Will Reigel free throws, gave Davidson its first
lead of the game at 22-20 with 7:08 left in the half.
The game featured 12 ties and 14 lead changes from there, including 10 lead changes in the second half as neither team could pull away.
Davidson went ahead 60-55 on a Mann jumper with 7:37 left on the clock, but an 8-2 flurry, capped by a Williams free throw, put the Seahawks back in front 63-62. The teams traded the lead three more times before Czerapowicz's runner put Davidson ahead for good.
Wofford 56, Prairie View 49
HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill. - The Wofford men's basketball team won 56-49 over Prairie View A&M on Saturday afternoon at Sears Centre Arena as part of the Chicago Invitational Challenge. The Terriers had a two point lead at the half and hit 11-of-13 free throws in the second half to secure the victory.
Wofford is 3-3 on the season and Prairie View A&M is 2-5 overall. The Terriers were led by Kevin Giltner with 15 points and Brad Loesing with 14 points. Aerris Smith had a team-high seven rebounds. The Panthers were led by Jourdan Demuynck with ten points, all in the second half, and six rebounds. Brad Loesing was named to the Chicago Invitational Challenge All-Tournament Team.
"I would much rather play ugly and win than play great and lose," said head coach Mike Young. "That was about as ugly as it gets. We did enough to get out of here with a win. We took better care of the ball in the second half and had more shots. For the most part we were really good defensively. We come off this trip 2-2 and we will take it and get ready for league play beginning on Thursday. I am looking forward to getting back home and get better on the practice court since we have a number of things to work on."
Wofford opened the game with a three by Brad Loesing. A bucket by Lee Skinner gave the Terriers a 7-2 lead with 13:40 on the clock. A three by Kevin Giltner made it a 12-7 advantage with 9:18 remaining in the first half. Wofford was able to extend the led with another three by Kevin Giltner at 6:23 to make it a 17-11 game. The Panthers went on a 6-0 run to end the first half, with a 19-17 score in favor of the Terriers.
The Terriers hit a pair of free throws by John Swinton to open the scoring in the second half. The Panthers would score the next four points to tie the game at 21 with 18:22 on the clock. Two free throws and a three pointer by Brad Loesing gave Wofford a 26-21 lead. Wofford continued the 8-0 run for a 29-21 lead after a shot by Lee Skinner with 14:58 left in the second half.
Prairie View pulled within three points at 31-28, but the Terriers were up 35-31 at 11:54 in the second half. The Panthers tied the game at 35, then hit a three with 10:06 on the clock for a 38-35 lead, their first of the game. Their 7-0 run ended with a bucket by Aerris Smith and a three by Kevin Giltner tied the game at 40 with 8:22 remaining. A dunk by Karl Cochran with 5:41 on the clock gave the Terriers a 42-41 lead.
The score was tied at 44 and 46 before a free throw by Drew Crowell gave the Terriers a 47-46 advantage. Two free throws by Kevin Giltner and a bucket by Lee Skinner made it a 51-47 lead with 1:28 left in the game. Wofford hit 3-of-4 free throws in the final thirty seconds and Karl Cochran hit a bucket with five seconds left to provide the 56-49 final margin.
Wofford shot 35.8 percent from the floor while Prairie View A&M shot 37.5 percent overall. The Terriers were 5-of-19 from three, while the Panthers were 1-of-11 from behind the arc. Wofford was 13-of-15 from the line and Prairie View A&M was 18-of-32 from the line. The Panthers had a 34-32 lead in rebounds, but had 18 turnovers in the contest.
Wofford returns home on Thursday, December 1, against Davidson in the SoCon opener for both teams.
Appalachian State 81, Milligan 58
BOONE, N.C. - Double-doubles from Isaac Butts and Andre Williamson led Appalachian State University men's basketball to a 81-58 win over Milligan on Saturday afternoon at the Holmes Center. Butts turned in 18 points and 13 rebounds while Williamson added 13 points and a career-high 16 boards.
The Mountaineers (3-2) shot 48.5 percent from the field, pulled in 50 rebounds and matched a season high with 19 assists in the home victory. Appalachian blocked six shots and held the Buffaloes (2-4) to a 35.9 percent shooting mark from the floor and and forced 20 MC turnovers to improve to 2-0 at home on the season.
Butts came off the bench for the first time this year and notched 15 points with nine rebounds in just 12 first-half minutes to help ASU build a 44-29 halftime lead. Williamson also nearly converted a double-double in the opening frame with nine points and 11 boards. He finished the game with a season-best four blocks and shot 5-of-7 from the field.
Butts had an equally successful shooting day, converting 8-of-12 shots. He also swiped one of ASU's 12 steals.
Rodney Milum came a point shy of matching his season high in points with 12, including three buckets from downtown. The guard made his first start of the season and added three rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals for the Apps.
G.J. Vilarino made his first start in just his second game with Appalachian and turned in an impressive 10-point, five-assist outing. The sophomore guard shot 4-of-12 from the field and had a hand in ASU's first five field goals of the game with three early assists and two layups of his own.
Milligan put up a fight throughout the contest and battled back from an early eight-point hole to take a brief 23-22 lead late in the opening period. ASU then closed out the frame on a 22-6 run to regain control.
Tab Hamilton added seven points on 3-of-5 shooting. Jamaal Trice cooled off to score a season-low seven points but added four rebounds and a pair of assists in 23 minutes on the court. Omar Carter chipped in two points, four rebounds, three steals and a pair of assists, while Petey Hausley made the most of eight second-half minutes to score seven points and haul in four rebounds.
The Mountaineers struggled from the free-throw line throughout the contest, converting just 9-of-23 attempts. ASU scored 50 points in the paint and converted 15 offensive rebounds into 11 second-chance points.
The Apps were able to get out and run with its 35 defensive rebounds and 12 steals to score 21 fast-break points, one shy of the season high.
ASU's win is the sixth in a row against the visiting Buffs and gives Appalachian a 17-9 advantage in the all-time series, which stretches back to 1925-26.
Western Carolina 62, Florida A&M 46
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas - Western Carolina used a balanced attack offensively including 14 points from countrymen Harouna Mutombo and Keaton Cole, while also controlling the boards at both ends to set the tone early en route to a 62-46 victory over Florida A&M in its finale of the 2011 South Padre Island Invitational. The win halts an overall three-game slide for the Catamounts.
Following Saturday afternoon's game, WCU sophomore Brandon Boggs was named to the South Padre Invitational All-tournament team for his performance including averaging 21.5 points per game including a career-best 35 to lead the Catamounts against Northern Colorado.
"Today was a good team win for us. I am proud of the way our guys responded to what went on in our team meetings last night - I challenged them pretty good," said WCU head coach Larry Hunter during post-game comments on the Catamount Sports Network. "I was really proud of our effort and our energy - I really didn't have to coach energy today. And, when I went to our bench, I got production - those were a couple of things I thought were really big for us."
Mutombo shot 5-of-9 from the floor including a pair of 3-pointers while Cole was 4-of-8 from beyond the arc with a pair of made free throws to account for his 14 points. Sophomore Preston Ross finished with 13 points including 10 in the opening 20 minutes to lead the Catamounts at the break, adding six rebounds.
Boggs chipped in eight points and six rebounds while Tawaski King recorded a very solid stat line. The second-year forward out of Dublin, Ga., scored seven points while pulling down a career-high 13 rebounds including six on the offensive end. King also dished out three assists and swiped two steals in an all-around performance.
After falling behind by two just a minute and a half into the contest, Western Carolina (3-4) used a 13-to-2 run to build a nine-point lead which it held the majority of the opening 20 minutes and would never trail again. WCU would manage an 11-point lead with four minutes to play before halftime on a Ross jumper, with Cole connecting on his two, first half 3-pointers in the closing moments of the stanza to give the Catamounts a 12-point, 35-23, lead at halftime.
WCU maintained the double-digit lead as the second half unfolded until five-straight points by the Rattlers erased a 13-point cushion, trimming the Catamount edge to just eight, 43-35, with nine minutes to play. However, Western Carolina responded with consecutive buckets by freshman James Sinclair and Mutombo in transition to push the margin back to double-digits where it would remain through the final gun.
The Catamounts took a game-high lead of 19 points inside the final two minutes on a pair of free throws by Cole, winning by 16, 62-46.
Florida A&M (0-6) put two players in double figures including a team-high 14 points from Reggie Lewis who was held to just three points after intermission. Post Yannick Crowder scored a double-double with 11 points and 11 boards, seven on the defensive end. The Rattlers' leading scorer entering the game, Avery Moore, was held to eight points on 3-of-12 shooting.
Thanks in part to King's career-day on the glass, WCU outrebounded FAMU, 43-to-32, including 16 offensive boards. The Catamounts shot 41-percent from the field including 35-percent (7-20) from beyond the 3-point arc while limiting Florida A&M to 33-percent from the field in the win.
Western Carolina opens Southern Conference play on the road next Thursday night as it visits divisional-foe, Samford, for a 8:00 pm ET / 7:00 pm CT tip-off against the Bulldogs.
College of Charleston 85, Umass 61
PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas - Freshman Anthony Stitt came off the bench and ignited the offense as the College of Charleston men's basketball team defeated a tough, defensive-minded UMass squad, 85-61, in the fifth-place consolation game of the inaugural Battle 4 Atlantis tournament held Saturday night at the Atlantis Resort's Imperial Arena.
Stitt, who has played in only six total games for the Cougars (5-1), knocked down a career-high 23 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the floor and 5-of-8 shooting from downtown. He was one of three players in double figures as CofC went 2-1 in tournament play with wins over UNC Asheville and UMass (5-2).
Senior Antwaine Wiggins registered his second consecutive 20-point outing matching Stitt's 23 on 8-of-14 shooting with three long-distance treys, while redshirt junior Matt Sundberg added 12 points and five rebounds off the bench.
Field-goal shooting was the difference in the game. The Cougars shot 50.9 percent (29-of-57) from the field making 14-of-25 attempts in the second half of play. They also made 12-of-23 from three-point range.
UMass, who had held opponents to just 38.8 percent shooting from the floor and 26.3 percent from beyond the arc prior to the contest, had its role reversed and shot only 34.7 percent (25-of-72) against the Cougars. The Minutemen were paced by 12 points from reserve Cady Lalanne.
The Cougars led 38-34 at halftime and broke the game open with a 20-4 run in the second half. A layup by Stitt capped the run and gave CofC a 68-47 lead with 6:50 remaining in regulation.
CofC will begin Southern Conference play this coming week playing host to crosstown rival The Citadel on Thursday, Dec. 1 at 8 p.m. (ET) at TD Arena.
Samford 71, UT Arlington 69
ARLINGTON, Texas --- The Samford University basketball team used a key 3-point basket from true freshman Raijon Kelly to earn a momentous 71-69 triumph on the road against the UT Arlington Mavericks on Saturday in Texas Hall.
With Samford (1-3) trailing 69-68 with 1:13 left to play, the Bulldogs' Kelly knocked down the game-winning 3-point basket from the right flank to give his squad a key 71-69 advantage. The teams then traded possessions in the final minute until UT Arlington's Shaq White-Miller was fouled in traffic with only 1.1 seconds remaining in the game.
White-Miller, with the opportunity to tie the game at 71-71, missed both of his free throws to apparently give Samford the victory at the buzzer. The officials then added 0.6 seconds to the clock with the Mavericks' possession on the left baseline.
On the final play of the game, UT Arlington's Jordan Reves quickly collected the inbounds pass on the right wing, but heaved a 12-footer just off the back rim to secure Samford's victory.
"I'm very proud of this team and we showed a great deal of toughness tonight," said Samford head coach Jimmy Tillette. "We were able to get out to a good lead in the game and then we remained tough even after they made their run to come back in the second half. This was a great road win for our team tonight and extremely proud of these guys."
Samford extended its winning streak against UT Arlington (3-2) to four straight games; a stretch that dates all the way back to 1998. The Bulldogs also took a 5-4 advantage in the all-time series between the teams.
Sophomore guard Drew Windler paced Samford's offensive attack with 16 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field. The Bulldogs' 6-foot-9 native of South Milwaukee, Wis., also turned in a stellar 4-of-5 performance from 3-point range.
As a team, Samford shot 15-of-36 from beyond the arc, a 41.7-percent mark from 3-point range. The Bulldogs also shot 51.1 percent from the field.
"We shot the ball really well tonight," Tillette said. "We showed a lot of toughness throughout the game and I'm very proud of our guys. I also thought we did a really good job of rebounding the ball and we're getting better at that. It's a process and I thought we really took a good step forward tonight. Our energy level was great and that was a huge key in getting the win."
Samford finished Saturday's win with three players scoring in double figures. Along with Windler's team-leading 16 points, senior Jeffrey Merritt followed with 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the floor. The Bulldogs' native of Oklahoma City, Okla., also turned in a 4-for-5 performance from beyond the arc.
Merritt and Windler combined to shoot 10-of-12 from the field and 8-of-10 from 3-point range to propel Samford to victory Saturday.
The Bulldogs' Will Cook also turned in a solid all-around game Saturday in front of a number of his friends and family from the surrounding Dallas area. Cook, a sophomore guard, finished with 11 points, seven rebounds, two assists and a steal. He also knocked down a pair of key 3-point baskets.
UT Arlington suffered its first loss at home this season and dropped to 3-1 when playing at Texas Hall. Heading into Saturday's game, the Mavericks' only defeat of the 2011-12 campaign was a 10-point setback at ninth-ranked Baylor on Wednesday.
"I was really happy about how we competed against a team that was at the top of their league and undefeated at home," said Tillette. "They beat a very talented North Texas team last week and then they hung tough against Baylor the other night, so this was a huge step forward for us, but it's still a process and we're still learning."
Despite trailing by as many as 22 points in the first half, UT Arlington battled back to lead by four, 56-52, with 8:05 to play in the game.
The Mavericks were led by LaMarcus Reed's 17 points on 6-of-15 shooting from the field and Kevin Butler's 14 points on 3-of-4 shooting from the floor. Most of Butler's damage was done from the free-throw line as he finished with an unblemished 6-of-6 mark from the charity stripe.
After UT Arlington took its 56-52 advantage late in the second half, Samford's Merritt knocked down a trio of 3-point baskets down the stretch, including a crucial bank-shot at the 3:11 mark to give the Bulldogs a 65-63 lead.
From that point on, Samford and UT Arlington traded buckets as the lead changed 10 times throughout the second half. The Bulldogs' took the lead for good as Kelly knocked down the game-winning 3-pointer with 1:13 to play.
At the half, Samford held a 40-32 advantage over the Mavericks. The Bulldogs shot a sizzling 50 percent (9-of-18) from 3-point range and 60.9 percent from the field in the opening period.
Samford knocked down its first five 3-point attempts of the game and led UT Arlington 37-15 with 7:05 to play in the opening half. The Mavericks caught fire down the stretch in the first half and outscored the Bulldogs 17-3 heading into the locker room. UT Arlington shot 39.1 from the field and 4-of-12 from beyond the arc in the opening 20 minutes of play.
Cook, Samford's explosive guard from nearby Dallas, led the Bulldogs with 10 points on 3-of-6 shooting from the field in the first half. He also grabbed a pair of rebounds and knocked down two key 3-point baskets, including the final shot of the opening period to give Samford its 40-32 lead at the intermission.
The Bulldogs' Kaylin Johnson finished 3-for-3 from 3-point range and notched nine points in the first half, while Windler knocked down both of his 3-point attempts before getting into foul trouble.
UT Arlington was paced in the first half by Butler's 10 points on 2-of-3 shooting from the field. Butler, in his first year of eligibility after transferring from TCU, finished a perfect 4-of-4 from the free-throw line and connected on both of his attempts from beyond the arc. Reed, UT Arlington's leading scorer this season, chipped in with nine first-half points.
The Samford University basketball team will next be in action Thursday at 7 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs return home to Birmingham for a critical Southern Conference opener against the Western Carolina Catamounts to be played in the Pete Hanna Center.
High Point 80, The Citadel 72 (OT)
CHARLESTON, S.C. - The Citadel's Mike Groselle posted his sixth straight double-double (15 points, 13 rebounds), but it was High Point's Nick Barbour that made the difference in overtime, as the Panthers emerged with an 80-72 overtime victory at the Millis Athletic and Convocation Center on Saturday evening. Groselle was joined by teammates Lawrence Miller (14 points), Ashton Moore (12 points) and Marshall Harris III (10 points), who all reached double figures.
The Citadel (2-3) converted 10 3-pointers in the contest behind the tandem of Moore (4-9) and Miller (3-8). Also knocking down long range shots for the Dogs were Barry Smith (1-4), Cosmo Morabbi (1-3) and Harris III (1-4). As a unit, the Cadets managed 27-for-70 (38.6%), 10-for-30 (33.3%) from 3-point range and knocked down 8-of-13 (61.5%) of their free throws. Groselle (7-13) was one of four Bulldogs, along with Harris III (4-9), Miller (4-10) and Moore (4-12), to finish with four or more made field goals. Harris III dished out six assists in the contest, marking the third time in his five career contest that he has eclipsed the six-assist plateau. Groselle's seven offensive rebounds were instrumental in giving The Citadel a 17-9 edge in second chance points.
The trio of Xavier Martin (21 points), Barbour (20 points) and Corey Law (13 points) carried the Panthers offensively. High Point managed 27-of-59 (45.8%) from the field, including 7-of-15 from 3-point range. The difference came from the charity stripe, which HPU visited on 31 occasions, knocking down 19 shots. Law crashed the boards for a game-high 15 rebounds, giving himself a double-double, while teammate Devante Wallace hauled in 10 rebounds, three offensively. HPU improved to 2-3 overall on the season following the victory.
Eight Citadel points in the first 2:10 of the second half, including key 3-pointers by Morabbi and Smith, erased a four-point High Point halftime advantage and knotted the game at 36-36. The Panthers answered quickly with a long range 3-pointer by Barbour, sparking a 10-0 run, making for a 46-36 contest at the 14:17 mark.
The Bulldog freshmen backcourt of Harris III and Miller, unfazed by the Panthers defense, answered with consecutive 3-pointers to pull The Citadel within four, 46-42, just over a minute later.
The two teams traded baskets as the lead bounced between five and seven points before a 3-pointer by Miller and alley-oop dunk by Smith sliced the margin to 56-51 with 4:50 remaining.
A strong defensive stand, along with a pair of free throws by Miller and Bo Holston drew the Dogs within one point, 56-55, with 3:22 to go on the clock. High Point scored five of the game's next seven points to move in front 61-57, but a pair of 3-pointers by Miller and Moore gave The Citadel a 63-62 edge with 43 seconds remaining.
Law responded with an old-fashioned three-point play, moving the Panthers in front by two, before a running jumper in the lane by Harris sent the game to overtime deadlocked at 65.
Barbour and Martin forged High Point to victory in the overtime with 10 and five points, respectively. The Citadel countered with two points each from Holston, Miller and Smith, but it was Barbour's 7-of-10 performance from the free-throw line proved to be the difference in the 80-72 victory.
Behind seven points from Groselle and six by Moore, The Citadel closed the first half within four points, 32-28, of the Panthers. Despite a scoring drought that spanned 3:34 of the frame, the Dogs hit 11-of-31 (35.5%) from the field, including three from beyond the arc. The Bulldogs also posted 18 rebounds, led by Groselle who hauled in five.
The Citadel led on two occasions in the early stages of the game, the first coming at the 14:12 mark when Moore buried a long range 3-pointer on an assist from Harris III to assume the 10-8 advantage. High Point quickly answered with a bucket by Devante Wallace to knot the game at 1(0-10, before CJ Bray stepped just outside the paint to net his first points of the game and give the Dogs a two-point advantage.
The Panthers retaliated with an 8-2 run, highlighted by a pair of 3-point buckets by Barbour and Martin to assume a 22-14 lead at the 10:17 mark of the half. Just under a minute later Moore answered with his second 3-pointer of the half, making for a five-point Panthers lead, 22-17.
The Bulldogs defense forced a missed opportunity for HPU, allowing Groselle to work his way through the paint and trim the lead to 22-19. The Panthers took advantage of Citadel miscues to stretch the lead to 27-20 at the 6:52 mark, before a layup by Harris III made again pulled the Dogs within five.
Shine and Law combined to score the next five points for the Panthers, who lead 32-26 with 2:13 left in the half, but it was four points by Miller and two from Harris III that pulled The Citadel within four at the intermission.
The Bulldogs open Southern Conference play on Dec. 1 when they head to crosstown rival College of Charleston at 7 p.m.