Samford 58, Georgia Southern 50
STATESBORO, Ga. --- The Samford University basketball team used a stellar second-half performance from sophomore Gregg Wooten to earn a 58-50 Southern Conference victory against the Georgia Southern Eagles at Hanner Fieldhouse. Wooten dominated the final period of play with his dribble-drives and acrobatic layups. The Bulldogs' 6-foot-2 guard from Memphis, Tenn., scored all of his 12 points in the second half.
With the win, Samford (12-12, 3-8 SoCon) snapped a four-game road losing streak and moved to 2-2 against Georgia Southern (4-21, 0-12 SoCon) since joining the SoCon in 2008-09.
The Bulldogs will next be in action Thursday at 6 p.m. (CST) as they continue their three-game road swing at Appalachian State in Boone, N.C.
With Saturday's loss, Georgia Southern remained winless in SoCon play this season and dropped its 12th straight game. The Eagles' last victory occurred Dec. 22 against Georgia State, 74-72, in overtime.
Wooten spearheaded Samford's offensive attack in the second half and scored five of his six field goals on driving layups. He finished 6-of-8 from the field and added two assists and a pair of steals in 27 minutes of game action.
The Bulldogs' leading scorer Saturday was senior forward Josh Davis with 13 points on 4-of-9 shooting from the floor. Davis knocked down a pair of key 3-point baskets and rattled the rim with a thunderous one-handed dunk in the second half.
Samford outscored Georgia Southern 35-28 in the final 20 minutes of play and shot a torrid 57.1 percent from the field in the second half.
The Bulldogs led the Eagles by as many as 11 points in the victory as Samford's bench outscored Georgia Southern's reserves 35-8.
Senior Josh Bedwell came through in the clutch late in the game as he nailed 6-of-6 attempts from the charity stripe. The Bulldogs' senior from Hartselle, Ala., scored nine points in 25 minutes of play.
Junior Jeffrey Merritt played a key role for Samford as he pulled down a game-high eight rebounds. The Bulldogs' 6-foot-6 guard entered Saturday's game as the second-ranked player in the conference with an average of 6.6 boards per contest. Merritt also finished with seven points, three assists and two steals.
Samford's Andy King came off the bench to register six points, three rebounds and a pair of steals.
Georgia Southern's Ben Drayton provided the scoring punch for the Eagles Saturday with 16 points on 5-of-11 shooting from the field. He finished a perfect 6-of-6 from the free-throw line and added five rebounds and five assists.
After Drayton's game-high scoring performance, Georgia Southern's Rory Spencer, Jelani Hewitt, Tre' Bussey and Marvin Baynham all chipped in with an additional eight points apiece.
At the half, Samford used six points from both Davis and Merritt to take a slight 23-22 lead into the intermission. The Bulldogs opened the game with 17-6 advantage before Georgia Southern rallied for a 16-4 run late in the period to take the lead 22-21 with 1:22 to play in the half. Samford Davis then scored a layup on a backdoor cut to give the Bulldogs their 23-22 halftime advantage.
Georgia Southern turned the ball over 12 times in the opening 20 minutes of play, while Samford also committed seven miscues in the first half. The Eagles were able to convert the Bulldogs' mistakes into six points, while Samford scored five off of Georgia Southern's turnovers.
The Bulldogs shot 34.6 percent from the field in the opening half and finished 3-of-9 from beyond the arc. The Eagles tallied a 43.8 shooting percentage from the floor, but went 0-for-5 from 3-point distance.
Georgia Southern's leading scorer at the half was Drayton with eight points on 2-of-2 shooting from the field. The Eagles' junior guard, who recently reached the 1,000-point plateau, capped off Georgia Southern's 16-4 run with a pair of layup and went 4-for-4 from the charity stripe.
As a team, the Eagles went 8-of-10 from the free-throw line, while Samford was only 2-for-6.
The Bulldogs' leading scorers in the first half were Davis and Merritt with six points apiece. Merritt, Samford's junior guard from Oklahoma City, Okla., also pulled down five rebounds in the opening 20 minutes of play.
Western Carolina 83, UNCG 73
CULLOWHEE, N.C. - Five players scored in double figures led by 19 points from redshirt freshman Trey Sumler and a double-double effort by Harouna Mutombo as Western Carolina held off UNC Greensboro, 83-73, Saturday afternoon in Southern Conference action in the Ramsey Center.
Sumler, who dished out six of WCU's 18 assists, set a career-high with 5-of-7 shooting from beyond the 3-point arc to pace the Catamounts, while true freshman Brandon Boggs scored 17 as WCU claimed its ninth-straight home victory.
Western Carolina (11-13, 7-5 SoCon) used a 15-to-2 run capped by a 3-pointer by Mike Williams early in the second half to take a three-point game and stretch it to a game-high 16 points, 60-44, with 14:12 remaining. However, sparked by a run of 10-straight points by Brandon Evans, UNCG responded with a 15-to-0 run to close the gap to just one, 60-59, with 8:49 remaining in regulation.
All told, Evans scored 12 of the 15 points during the spurt for the Spartans while WCU was held off the scoreboard completely for six and a half minutes before a pair of Mutombo free throws halted the drought. The Catamounts went seven and a half minutes between field goals until Sumler connected for three from the top of the key to push the Catamount edge back to six, 65-59.
WCU was able to balloon the advantage back to double-figures on a pair of Richie Gordon free throws at the 3:06 mark, with Gordon converting an inbounds pass into a streaking slam dunk thirty seconds later to keep it a double-digit game. Boggs likewise added a highlight reel dunk in the closing moments as the Catamounts were able to maintain the edge through the final horn.
Williams finished with 14 points including four 3-pointers with five assists and a pair of steals in the winning effort. His classmate Gordon scored 12 with a career-high tying four steals with Mutombo posting his fourth career double-double with a dozen points and a career-high 12 rebounds.
Keaton Cole added a pair of first half 3-pointers off the bench for WCU, finishing with six points.
Western Carolina, which led start-to-finish, held a 10-point lead twice in the first half on Saturday afternoon against the Spartans. With the margin nine, 34-25, with 4:36 to play in the opening 20 minutes, UNCG (4-18, 4-8 SoCon) twice pulled to within one point on slam dunks - one by Trevis Simpson and the second by Aaron Brackett. However, both times, the Catamounts were able to respond with scoring spurts, using buckets by Mutombo and a buzzer-beating jumper by Boggs at the end of the first half to lead 40-35 at halftime.
Evans led four Spartans in double figures with a game-high 21 points including 12-of-13 from the free throw line. Brackett posted a double-double with 14 points - 12 of which came in the first half - and 10 rebounds. Simpson finished with a dozen points while Brian Cole chipped in 10 including two 3-pointers.
Western Carolina won the battle on the boards, 37-33, including a 12-to-6 edge in offensive rebounds against one of the other strong offensive rebounding teams in the SoCon. The Spartans benefited from a 30-to-13 free throw attempt edge, making 26 attempts (86.7%) to WCU's 10 made tosses for 76.9%.
College of Charleston 73, Furman 54
CHARLESTON, S.C. - Andrew Goudelock scored 29 points and Donavan Monroe added 17 to lift College of Charleston over Furman, 73-54, in Southern Conference men's basketball action before a crowd of 5,081 on Saturday afternoon at the Carolina First Arena.
With the loss, Furman slipped to 17-7 overall and fell to 9-4 in SoCon play. College of Charleston tightened its grip on the SoCon South Division lead by improving to 17-7 overall and 10-2 in the league while extending its winning streak to six against the Paladins. The loss also dropped Furman to 0-13 on the Cougars' home floor since College of Charleston entered the SoCon.
The Cougars, who led wire-to-wire, raced out to a 14-3 in the first four and a half minutes behind five points apiece from Goudelock and Monroe. The Paladins trimmed the margin to as few as six points and trailed just 28-20 with under six minutes to play in the first half, but Monroe netted three straight baskets and Goudelock capped another 14-3 run with the final six points of the half to give the Cougars a 40-23 lead at intermission.
Furman got the margin back down to 15 early in the second half, but Charleston used a 57.1% shooting effort from the floor over the final 20 minutes to extend its lead to as many as 28 points before settling for the 19-point victory.
CofC shot 56.9 percent (29-51) from the field, the highest percentage by a Paladin opponent this season. Goudelock hit 12-of-22 shots, including 4-of-9 beyond the arc, while fellow senior Monroe connected on 7-of-12 shots to combine for 46 points. Freshman Trent Wiedeman, playing in place of senior Jeremy Simmons who was forced to the bench with a blood clot, scored 11 points and added seven rebounds.
The Cougars outrebounded Furman 32-28 and scored 17 points off of 10 offensive boards.
Amu Saaka, 6-of-12 from the floor, paced Furman with 18 points and six rebounds. Sophomore Colin Reddick added 11 points on 5-of-10 shooting. The Paladins converted just 39% of their chances from the field and connected on only 4-of-15 three-point attempts.
The 19-point decision gave Charleston a regular season sweep of the Paladins.
Appalachian State 68, Elon 62
ELON, N.C. - The Appalachian State Mountaineers managed to overcome a first-half deficit with a late rally to hand the host Elon Phoenix a 68-62 loss in Southern Conference men's basketball action in front of a capacity crowd at Alumni Gym on Saturday night.
The lead changed hands five times over the final six minutes of the contest, with ASU (10-13, 6-7) taking the advantage for the final time when Mitch Woods hit his lone shot of the night, a three-pointer with 3:07 to play. Elon (10-14, 4-9) would close the gap to one on two occasions before the final horn, but was unable to pull back on top as ASU free throws sealed the deal.
Rookie Lucas Troutman led Elon for the second straight game, coming off the bench for 19 points, six rebounds, three blocks and two steals. His three swatted shots gave him 35 on the year and moved him into 10th place on Elon's single-season list. Veteran guard Chris Long was the only other Phoenix in double figures with 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting. He added eight assists, moving him into 10th place in a single season with 137.
The visitors had four players in double figures, getting 17 points and 10 rebounds from Omar Carter. One of the top scorers in the SoCon, Donald Sims was limited to 4-of-16 from the field but his nine free throws helped him to 17 points. The guard went over 2,000 points for his career with a layup early in the contest.
It was a tightly called second half and both teams made numerous trips to the free throw line. A Ryley Beaumont jumper put Elon up 46-40 with 12:34 on the clock, but Elon would not connect again from the field over the next seven minutes. While the Phoenix was successful at the stripe, a Sims jumper capped a 14-4 ASU run that gave the Mountaineers a 55-52 advantage with 5:31 remaining.
Troutman answered for Elon out of a timeout to end the drought and Long forced a turnover on the next ASU possession and pulled up for a jumper that put Elon back on top, 56-55, at 4:09. Andre Williamson completed an old-fashioned three-point play on Appalachian's next possession, but a Long trey put Elon back in the driver's seat, 59-58, with 3:26 to go.
Woods answered with the long ball and Elon managed only 1-of-2 from the line on its next trip down the floor. The teams traded buckets before a Carter shot hit all parts of the rim prior to dropping in to give ASU a 65-62 lead with 33 ticks on the clock. Long's game-tying three-point attempt went off the back of the rim and Mountaineer freebies finished the contest.
Elon made only seven baskets in the final half, shooting 30 percent from the field compared to a 50 percent performance by App. ASU was also the aggressor on the glass in the final half, finishing with a 40-30 rebounding advantage for the game. The Phoenix struggled from beyond the arc for the second straight game, managing only 5-of-19 from long range.
Elon started the first half strong for the first time in several games, connecting on 6-of-7 from the field to take a 14-6 lead with 15:25 on the clock. The Mountaineers' Carter scored his squad's first eight points and his fourth bucket of the night jumpstarted a 20-6 visitor run that spanned nearly nine minutes. Elon went over four minutes without a bucket during the ASU run that gave the Mountaineers a 26-20 advantage with 6:08 to go in the half.
A Jack Isenbarger three-pointer gave Elon life as Phoenix freshmen scored 14 of the team's final 16 points of the half. Elon outscored the Mountaineers 16-4 over the final five and half minutes and took a 36-30 lead after 20 minutes of action.
Troutman contributed 10 points, five boards, two blocks and two steals in the first period. The rookie sparked the Phoenix faithful with several dunks that moved the crowd to its feet. Elon shot 47 percent in the opening half and outrebounded ASU, 21-18.
Wofford 74, The Citadel 60
CHARLESTON, S.C. - The Wofford men's basketball team picked up a 74-60 win over The Citadel on Saturday night at McAlister Fieldhouse. The Terriers never trailed in the game as the squad shot 54.6% from the floor and held the Bulldogs to only 36.4%.
Wofford is 13-11 on the season and 10-3 in the Southern Conference and The Citadel is 9-15 overall and 5-7 in SoCon play. With the win and a loss by Furman, Wofford is in second place in the SoCon South Division. The Terriers were led by Noah Dahlman with 22 points and Cameron Rundles added 19 points. Tim Johnson led all players with nine rebounds. The Bulldogs were led by Cameron Wells with 16 points, ten of which were free throws.
The Terriers opened the game with a three by Cameron Rundles. A dunk by Tim Johnson gave Wofford a 7-4 lead with 16:25 on the clock. An 11-2 run by the Terriers that included a three by Kevin Giltner and four points by Noah Dahlman made it an 18-6 game with 12:40 remaining in the first half.
Another three pointer by Cameron Rundles gave the Terriers a 23-12 lead with 8:43 on the clock. After taking a 25-16 advantage with six minutes left, the Bulldogs scored the next six points to cut the lead to 25-22 with 3:26 remaining. Wofford would score six of the final eight points of the half to take a 31-24 at the break.
Wofford opened the second half with a three by Cameron Rundles, but it was matched at the other end with a three by Zach Urbanus. Terry Martin hit two straight buckets for the Terriers to take a 41-31 lead three minutes into play. Wofford then used an 8-2 run that was capped by a three pointer from Cameron Rundles to push the advantage to 50-33 with 13:17 on the clock.
The Bulldogs were able to cut the lead to 52-42 with ten minutes to go in the second half. Wofford answered with two buckets from Noah Dahlman to take a 14-point lead. At the 6:55 mark, the Terriers held a 60-47 advantage. Three minutes later, Wofford was able to extend the lead to 68-49 after two free throws by Cameron Rundles. The Citadel answered with a three by Zach Urbanus with 3:39 on the clock to make it a 68-52 score. In the final minutes, the Bulldogs cut the lead, but the Terriers left Charleston with a 74-60 win.
Wofford shot 54.2 percent from the floor and was 42.9 percent from three-point tange. The Citadel was just 36.4 percent overall from the floor and was 33.3 percent from behind the arc. Wofford had a 29-25 lead on the boards. Cameron Wells and Mike Groselle fouled out for the Bulldogs.
Wofford has won nine straight over the Bulldogs and have also won the last nine games played at McAlister Fieldhouse. Noah Dahlman has now scored in double-figures in 72 straight games.
Davidson 73, Chattanooga 59
DAVIDSON, N.C. - Nik Cochran and JP Kuhlman each scored 16 points, and Davidson held Chattanooga to 31 percent shooting in the second half to earn a 73-59 Southern Conference men¹s basketball victory over the Mocs Saturday night.
It was the fourth straight win for the Wildcats (12-12, 6-7 SoCon).
Cochran added five rebounds and four assists to his stat line, while Kuhlman had seven rebounds and four assists. Jake Cohen recorded 10 points and nine rebounds, and Brendan McKillop posted 12 points and five boards.
Omar Wattad scored a game-high 29 points to lead Chattanooga (14-11, 10-3 SoCon), making 10-of-19 from the field and 6-of-13 from 3-point range.
After struggling offensively in the first half, the Wildcats shot 44 percent, including six triples, and hit 11of-15 free throws in the second frame and to score 45 points. Meanwhile, Davidson¹s defense held the Mocs to
10-of-32 from the floor and 4-of-18 from long distance. Cochran¹s point total was part of a Davidson bench that outscored Chattanooga 29-7.
Clinging to a one-point lead in the second half, Clint Mann¹s layup ignited a monstrous 21-3 run to open a 60-41 cushion with 8:42 remaining. Cochran scored eight points during the run, and Jordan Downing added a big triple from the wing. The Mocs got the margin down to 14 points twice but would get no closer.
Despite shooting just 29 percent in the first half, the Wildcats went into the locker room at halftime deadlocked with the Mocs at 28-28. Davidson had the last shot of the half, but Jordan Downing had a baseline jumper fall off the rim, and Cohen¹s follow rimmed out as the buzzer sounded.