Wofford 79, Furman 65

GREENVILLE, S.C. - With the second seed in the upcoming Southern Conference Tournament on the line, the Wofford men's basketball team defeated Furman 79-65 on Saturday afternoon at Timmons Arena. The Terriers had four players score in double figures and had a 35-23 lead on the glass in the victory.

Wofford is 18-12 on the season and 14-4 in the Southern Conference. Furman is 20-9 overall and 12-6 in the conference. The Terriers were led by Cameron Rundles with 17 points and Tim Johnson with eleven points and ten rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season. Noah Dahlman and Brad Loesing also scored in double figures for Wofford. The Paladins were led by Darryl Evans with 14 points.

The Paladins scored first, but the Terriers had a 9-6 lead at the 15:55 mark. A three by Cameron Rundles at 14:28 gave Wofford a 14-8 advantage. The lead stayed at six points after a lay-up and free throw by Noah Dahlman for a 17-11 score. Furman answered with a three, but after a three by Nathan Parker at 9:42, the Terriers had a 23-16 edge.

Furman then used an 8-0 run to take a 24-23 lead with 6:41 on the clock. The run ended with a bucket by Terry Martin and three free throws by Tim Johnson for a 28-24 lead with just under five minutes left in the first half. Tim Johnson added a lay-up at the three minute mark for a 30-26 score, but the Paladins answered with a bucket at the other end from Amu Saaka. Brad Loesing and Cameron Rundles hit back-to-back threes for the Terriers to take a 36-28 lead at the half.

Wofford opened the second half with a three by Jamar Diggs, but the Paladins answered with a three at the other end by Noah States. The Terriers added five straight points by Terry Martin for a 44-33 lead before a three from the corner by Brad Loesing pushed the advantage to 47-33 with 16:14 on the clock. Furman added a bucket, but Tim Johnson scored two straight lay-ups for a 51-35 lead five minutes into the half.

Furman used a quick run to cut the lead to 54-41, but back-to-back threes by Kevin Giltner gave the Terriers a 60-43 advantage with 11:38 on the clock. A bucket by Tim Johnson with five minutes left in the game pushed the Wofford lead to 70-50. Noah Dahlman hit a free throw with 4:21 on the clock to give him ten points and the Terriers a 71-50 lead. Furman scored the next four points, but Wofford pushed the lead to 22 points after a lay-up by Cameron Rundles for a 79-57 lead with two minutes to play. Furman scored the final eight points of the game for the 79-65 final score.

Wofford shot 50.0 percent from the floor and was 66.7% from three. Furman was 46.3 percent overall and was 37.5 percent from behind the arc. The Terriers had a 35 to 23 lead on the glass and had 21 assists to only seven turnovers.


Davidson 78, UNCG 67

DAVIDSON, N.C. -­ Jake Cohen scored a career-high 27 points, and senior Brendan McKillop, playing in his final home game, netted 17 to lead Davidson to a 78-67 Southern Conference men¹s basketball victory over UNCG Saturday in Belk Arena.

It was the 400th career win for Brendan's father, Wildcat head coach Bob McKillop, and Davidson's ninth win in the last 10 games.

Cohen was 11-of-14 from the floor, 3-for-4 from 3-point land and 2-for-2 from the free-throw line for the Wildcats (17-13, 10-8 SoCon). Brendan McKillop took all 10 of his shots from downtown and made five while adding four assists and a steal.

Nik Cochran posted nine points and four rebounds off the bench, and De'Mon Brooks collected eight points and five boards.

Trevis Simpson and Brandon Evans each scored 18 points to lead UNCG (6-23, 6-12 SoCon).

Davidson led by as many as 14 points in the first half, but the Wildcats found themselves trailing 54-52 with 8:50 to go after two free throws by Aaron Brackett. McKillop and Cohen took over, sparking an 18-2 run to take control of the game.

Cohen started the run with a layup, and McKillop and Brooks connected on three straight triples. Cohen and Brooks capped the run with consecutive layups to put the 'Cats ahead 70-56 with 2:57 left and put the game out of reach.

The Wildcats had a 10-3 cushion early in the game, and a 14-4 spurt, capped by a Cohen layup, made the score 34-20 with 3:45 left in the first half.

UNCG came right back with a 17-5 spurt that spanned over the last 3:19 of the first half and first minute of the second to pull within two points at 39-37. The game was tight from there with three ties and two lead changes until a McKillop triple broke a 54-54 tie with 7:45 remaining.

Davidson and UNCG will tangle again next Friday in the first round of the Southern Conference Tournament in Chattanooga, Tenn.


Appalachian State 70, The Citadel 59

BOONE, N.C. - Seniors J.R. Archer and Donald Sims combined for eight of Appalachian State University men's basketball's first 10 points as the Mountaineers defeated The Citadel, 70-59, in Saturday's regular season finale. It was ASU's seventh win in eight February contests as the program's three seniors closed out their their careers with a 9-3 home record. 

Archer sank his first two three-point attempts to put the Mountaineers ahead for good. He tallied a career-high six points and a rebound in nine minutes in the first start of his career. 

After averaging 30.0 points in his last three games, Sims cooled off from the floor and finished with seven ponts on 3-of-14 shooting. The guard dished out four assists, swiped three steals and grabbed three rebounds to put the finishing touches on his regular season résumé. 

The Mountaineers (15-14, 10-8 SoCon) shot 51.9 percent from the floor in the game- including a 58.1 percent clip in the opening 20 minutes - and sank 7-of-20 three-point attempts while holding the Bulldogs (10-21, 6-12) to a 40.0 percent mark from the field in the contest. 

Omar Carter handled the bulk of the scoring duties for ASU, tallying a game-high 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting. The junior added three of the Apps' seven treys and tied three of his teammates for the game high with five boards. 

After The Citadel cut a 12-point halftime deficit to just four points at 48-44 with 12 minutes to play, Carter scored 12 of ASU's next 16 points over a four-minute span as the Mountaineers regained a double-figure advantage at 64-51.

From there, the Apps kept the lead in double figures to earn the 11-point win, as ASU owned a 26-6 advantage in bench points. 

The Mountaineers' lead reserve was Anthony Breeze, who scored a career-high 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting with four rebounds in 20 minutes. 

Freshman Anthony Thomas earned 15 minutes off the bench in place of senior Jeremi Booth, who sat out due to a hand injury sustained in Thursday's win against College of Charleston. Thomas scored two points, hauled in one rebound and swatted an impressive block on Bo Holston, who appeared to have a clear path to the basket for a dunk.

Cameron Wells led The Citadel with 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting, seven rebounds and four of the visitors' eight assists. He was joined in double figures by Austin Dahn (12) and Mike Groselle (10). 

The Bulldogs owned a narrow 30-29 advantage on the glass but committed 12 turnovers, including nine ASU steals, and allowed the Apps 16 points off the turnovers. Appalachian also held a 10-2 lead in fast break points and tallied five blocks to The Citadel's one.



Western Carolina 70, College of Charleston 62

CULLOWHEE, N.C. - Sophomore Willis Hall registered his second career double-double with a game-high 21 points and a career-high 18 rebounds, but it wasn't enough as Western Carolina defeated College of Charleston, 70-62, to earn the North Division No. 1 seed in the upcoming Southern Conference Tournament on Saturday night at the Ramsey Center.

The Cougars (22-9, 14-4) dropped their second-straight game after reeling off seven wins in a row in league play prior to their road losses at Appalachian State on Feb. 24 and to the Catamounts (17-14, 12-6), who were fighting with divisional rival Chattanooga for the top bye in the postseason tournament next week.

The shots just weren't falling for the Cougars who went a season-low 35.1 percent (26-of-74) from the floor and found themselves in foul trouble sending WCU to the line 20 times in which they converted 14. CofC also made 16 turnovers in the ballgame and only had three players in double figures, Hall, senior All-America candidate Andrew Goudelock with 12 and sophomore Andrew Lawrence with 13 in which 10 were in the final minutes of the second half.

Western Carolina led 36-24 at halftime and by as many as 16 points with 16:41 remaining in regulation. CofC cut it down to five on two free throws by Goudelock, 55-50, with 5:06 to go, but the Catamounts responded with an 8-0 run to pull out in front for good.

Mike Williams led the way for WCU with 18 points on Senior Night followed by 16 each from Harouna Mutombo, nephew of Dikembe Mutombo, and Richie Gordon.

  
Chattanooga 77, Samford 72 (OT)

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. --- In its regular-season finale Saturday, the Samford University basketball team dropped a heartbreaking 77-72 overtime decision against the Chattanooga Mocs in a Southern Conference contest held at the Pete Hanna Center on Senior Night.

Prior to the game, Samford's four seniors: Josh Bedwell, Gaby Bermudez, Josh Davis and Andy King, were all honored with a special Senior Night presentation.

On their special night, the Bulldogs' senior class combined to score 39 of the team's 72 points, with Bedwell and King leading the way with 14 points apiece.

With 27 seconds remaining in regulation, Samford's Josh Davis scored on an acrobatic up-and-under reverse layup to tie the game at 65-65. On the play, the Bulldogs' senior from Lubbock, Texas, cut past a Mocs' defender, gathered a perfectly-timed pass from King, and then hung in the air of the game-tying score.

Following Davis' bucket, Chattanooga's Keegan Bell missed a possible game-winning 3-pointer.

Chattanooga (16-15, 12-6 SoCon) outscored Samford 12-7 in the overtime period to claim Saturday's 77-72 victory. During the extra five-minute frame, the Mocs' Bell scored eight points to propel Chattanooga to the win. A native of Hazel Green, Ala., Bell scored a game-high 25 points on 8-of-16 shooting from the field and knocked down 6-of-16 attempts from 3-point range.

Late in the overtime period, Bell connected on one of the biggest 3-point baskets of the game to give the Mocs a 74-72 advantage with only 1:17 left to play.

Samford senior Bedwell and King paced the Bulldogs' offensive attack with 14 points apiece, while fellow senior Bermudez scored a career-high nine points on 3-of-3 shooting from beyond the arc.

Bermudez, Samford's 6-foot-4 guard from Miami, Fla., also tallied four assists, a rebound and a steal. The Bulldogs' Jeffrey Merritt contributed with eight points and three rebounds, while John Peterson came off the bench to register seven points and three rebounds. Freshmen Drew Windler and Will Cook both chipped in with six points apiece.

Samford outshot Chattanooga from the field, 45.5 percent to 44.3 percent, but only connected on 7-of-13 free-throw attempts for a 53.8-percent mark. The Mocs shot 81.3 percent from the charity stripe making 13-of-16 attempts.

Chattanooga out-rebounded the Bulldogs 42-28, including a 12-4 mark on the offensive end of the court. The Mocs' offensive rebounding advantage led to a 14-0 disparity in second-chance points.

Samford finished with 21 assists on 25 made field goals and drained a total of 15 3-point shots. Bedwell, the Bulldogs' senior sharpshooter went 4-of-7 from beyond the arc, while King turned in a 4-of-8 outing from 3-point range. Cook added a 2-for-3 performance from long distance, a career-high outing for the young native of Dallas, Texas.

 

Elon 72, Georgia Southern 57

STATESBORO, Ga. - Georgia Southern Men's Basketball closed out the regular season with a 72-57 loss to Elon at Hanner Fieldhouse on Saturday night (February 26th). The Eagles (5-26, 1-17 SoCon) led by three points at halftime but the Phoenix shot .650 in the second half to the Eagles' .294 from the field to rally in the second half. Georgia Southern set a season-high attendance mark with 2,412 on hand for the home finale.

Seniors Rory Spencer and Johntavious Rucker were honored prior to the game for their contributions to Eagle Basketball. Spencer started the game but left the game after one possession due to an injury he suffered against UNCG.

SoCon Freshman of the Year candidate Eric Ferguson shared game-high scoring with 16 points, his highest scoring output since the Wofford game (Feb. 12th). He also pulled down a game-high eight rebounds. Junior Ben Drayton III had 13 points while making six assists.

Sophomore Zuri James scored 12 points on the evening, shooting 2-for-3 from downtown. Sophomore Cameron Baskerville had seven points going 2-for-2 from the field, 2-for-2 from the free throw line and 1-for-1 from downtown. Freshman Jelani Hewitt scored four points with two assists and two steals.

Freshman Justin Taylor did yeoman's work, playing a career-high 20 minutes and contributing three points with four rebounds. He also tallied a steal and bested his previous career-high playing time by four minutes.

Elon's (13-16, 7-11 SoCon) Drew Spradlin shared high-scorer honors with Ferguson on 16 points as four Phoenix scored in double-figures. Lucas Troutman had 14 while Chris Long scored 12 and Ryley Beaumont scored 11 on the night. Elon finishes the regular season as the No. 4 seed in the North Division and will face The Citadel in the final of the first round games on Friday night.

Both teams shot well in the early-going as both made eight of their first 10 field goals over the first nine minutes of the game. A block by Ferguson at 8:25 moved the freshman into a tie for third place on the freshman blocked shots chart.

The Eagles led by as many as five in the first half with 1:41 left but the Phoenix cut the advantage to one point with 24 seconds remaining in the first half. Taylor hit a jumper at the horn to give the Eagles a three-point lead going into the interval. The field goal was his first since the Mississippi Valley State game (November 27th).

Georgia Southern shot a season-high .667 (14-for-21) in the first half while Elon made just two of its final 14 first-half shots to go .417 (10-for-24) from the field. The Eagles swiped six steals to log 13 total steals in the two first halves of their last games.

A free throw by Ferguson gave the Eagles a four-point lead just 34 seconds into the second half. Elon, however, went on an 11-0 run over the next 4:22 to give the visitors a 40-34 lead. The run was snapped with a pair of free throws by James.

Following a James three-pointer at 13:56, which cut the lead to four points, Elon went on an 8-0 run to go out to a 12-point lead. Lucas Troutman had scored half of the run, which ended on a layup from Drayton.

Foul trouble became an issue in the second half as three Eagles had four fouls midway through the half and Ferguson picked up his fourth. Baynham would be the first to foul out with 5:58 remaining.

After the Eagles scored a four-point play, Elon took control of the game with an 8-1 run over the next 2:58, including a pair of three-pointers. Ferguson ended the run with a three-pointer at 4:55 on his first attempt from downtown on the night. Ferguson, however, fouled out with 2:42 left in the game as Georgia Southern trailed 68-53. The Eagles produced a 7-4 run over the final 2:48 of the game to drop the final margin to 72-57.

Georgia Southern shot just .294 (5-for-17) in the final 20 minutes of the game to post a .500 (19-for-38) performance from the field. Elon was 13-for-20 (.650) in the second half and .523 (23-for-44) overall. Elon committed just three second half turnovers to aid the Phoenix rally.