STATESBORO, GA. - Georgia Southern Men's Basketball dropped its SoCon opener on Wednesday night against Elon at Hanner Fieldhouse, 55-50. The Eagles trailed by six at the break and Elon extended the lead to 15 in the final six minutes of the game before GSU roared back down the stretch, cutting the lead to three points in the final minute. Elon took the lead back to five points with a pair of free throws in the waning seconds to hand the Eagles their first SoCon loss of the year.

GSU falls to 2-4 on the year with a 0-1 mark in SoCon play. Elon is 5-2 overall and 1-0 in the league. The Eagles travel to Samford on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. Elon hosts College of Charleston on Saturday night.

Tre Bussey dropped 16 points in the contest sharing high-scoring honors with Elon's Lucas Troutman. Bussey was 7-for-12 from the field with three rebounds. C.J. Reed added three from downtown for 13 points in the redshirt-senior's best showing at home.

Eric Ferguson posted his ninth career double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds off the bench. The performance off the bench snapped a run of 30-consecutive starts for the forward and was just the second different combination of starters for GSU this year.

Troutman led the Phoenix with 16 points, followed by Jack Isenbarger's 12 points. Elon shot 41 percent from the field on the night while out-rebounding the Eagles 35-29. Georgia Southern held the Phoenix to their second-lowest three-point total this season with seven from beyond the arc.

Southern was 19-for-48 from the field in the contest, shooting 40 percent and 6-of-14 from downtown at a 43 percent clip.

In the opening 20 minutes the Eagles out-shot the Phoenix by percentage 52 percent to 46 percent, but committed six turnovers. Elon was 4-for-9 from downtown in the first half and took a 16-11 advantage on the rebounding glass to post a six-point lead at the break.

Elon extended the lead to 11 points out of the break, but a five-point GSU run in the fourth minute of the half brought the lead back down to six points. Bussey's three-pointer with 16:07 remaining was his 12th point of the evening while Reed's second trey of the evening at 15:21 brought the Phoenix within three points.

The visitors answered with a run of their own, scoring 12-straight points in the next 10:03 for Elon's largest lead of the contest at 49-34. In the dry spell the Eagles went 0-for-14 from the field.

Ferguson's first dunk of the evening at 3:40 cut the lead back to 13 points. A fast-break layup followed by Ferguson's first three-pointer of the season knocked Elon's lead back down to eight with just less than three minutes remaining in the contest. Reed buried a basket from downtown on the next possession, cutting the lead to five, followed immediately by an offensive foul as Marvin Baynham drew a charge in the backcourt.

On the ensuing possession, Baynham took a hard foul and converted one-of-two from the free throw line to make it 54-49 in favor of the visitors with1:47 left. Ferguson added 1-of-2 from the free throw line with 40 seconds remaining, but that was as close as the Eagles got, falling 55-50 to the Phoenix.

GSU finished the second half with a 30 percent mark from the field, but went 4-for-9 from beyond the arc. The Eagles did a better job on the boards in the second half, trailing 19-18 on the glass while making just four second-half turnovers.

Wofford 70, Winthrop 55

SPARTANBURG, S.C. - The Wofford men's basketball team was back at Benjamin Johnson Arena after a five-game road trip and defeated Winthrop 70-55 on Wednesday night. The Terriers used a 23-3 run in the first half to build a lead that they would not relinquish.

Wofford moves to 3-5 on the season, while Winthrop is 2-3. The Terriers were led by Karl Cochran with a career-high 27 points, as he was 10-of-14 from the floor with five three pointers. Lee Skinner added eleven points and had four rebounds. The Eagles were led by Derrick Henry with 15 points and Joab Jerome with eleven points.

"We came back in here tonight and were able to put some things together across the board," said head coach Mike Young. "The point guard play was good and the assists and turnovers are Wofford numbers. We were up five in rebounds at the half which was huge. I am proud of our team. We needed it and we can build on this one and continue to get better."

The Terriers opened the scoring on two free throws by Karl Cochran and had a 6-3 lead four minutes into the game. A fall-away jumper by Indiana Faithfull gave Wofford a 13-7 advantage with eleven minutes left in the first half. After a steal by Aerris Smith, Faithfull added a fast break lay-up to make it 19-8 with 9:19 on the clock.

Wofford extended the lead to 25-8 after Karl Cochran put back a missed shot. Cochran hit back-to-back threes with six minute left first half to make it a 31-10 game. Spencer Collins hit a three pointer with under three minutes on the clock for a 38-15 advantage. At the break, the Terriers had a 42-19 lead and were shooting 61.5% from the floor.

In the second half, the Eagles scored the first four points to cut the lead to 42-23, but John Swinton answered with a three two minutes into play. A long jumper by Karl Cochran made it a 47-23 game at the 16:20 mark. Karl Cochran added two more three pointers to take a 55-29 lead with 11:52 remaining in the second half. After Wofford took a 59-33 lead on a bucket by Lee Skinner, the Eagles used a quick 7-0 run to cut the score to 59-40.

Karl Cochran added another three to end the run and give the Terriers a 62-40 advantage with under seven minutes to play. The Eagles cut the lead to 64-50 after a three by Derrick Henry at the 3:29 mark. A lay-up by Aerris Smith though made it a 68-50 lead with under two minutes remaining. Winthrop kept up the pressure and used a 5-0 run to make it a 68-55 game, but the Terriers added two free throws in the final minute for the 70-55 final score.

Wofford shot a season-best 49 percent from the floor while Winthrop shot 38 percent overall. The Terriers were 7-of-16 from three, while the Eagles were 5-of-21 from behind the arc. Wofford was 9-of-12 from the free throw line, while Winthrop was 12-of-15 from the line. The Terriers had a 33 to 29 lead on the glass and had 17 assists to only ten turnovers.

Wofford will host Gardner-Webb next Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. before beginning Southern Conference play on December 8 at Davidson.

College of Charleston 72, Charleston Southern 67

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. -  The College of Charleston men's basketball team snuck away with a 72-67 win over Charleston Southern on Wednesday night at Buccaneer Fieldhouse.

It was more than 16 years since both teams met in the small confines of the 881-seat venue, the smallest in all of NCAA Division I. Four of the last six contests leading up to the intercity rivalry game were decided in single digits - and this one didn't disappoint by doing the same.

Senior point guard Andrew Lawrence sank six free throws in the last minute and 40 seconds of regulation to give the Cougars (4-2) their third-straight victory of the season after upsetting No. 21 Baylor on Saturday.

Lawrence and sophomore point guard Anthony Stitt both ended the night with a team-high 18 points, while junior forward Willis Hall and sophomore forward Adjehi Baru added 11 each.

The Buccaneers (1-5) got within one in the final seconds as CSU's Arlon Harper drained a three-pointer with 41 seconds left on the clock, 68-67. But, the Cougars would hold on for intercity bragging rights.

Up next, CofC will open Southern Conference play at Elon (5-2) on Saturday, Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. (ET) at Alumni Gym in Elon, N.C.

North Carolina A&T 90, UNCG 79

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Despite a career-high 22 points from freshman forward Kayel Locke, the UNCG men's basketball team suffered an 90-79 loss to crosstown rival North Carolina A&T Wednesday night at the Greensboro Coliseum.

Locke went to the free throw line 16 times in the contest, knocking down 14 of the attempts to account for more than half of his offensive output off the bench. A trio of Spartans also notched double figures in points as junior Trevis Simpson dropped in 17 while senior Derrell Armstrong and junior Drew Parker contributed 11 each. Armstrong was one of three players to grab nine rebounds during the game, along with fifth-year senior Kelvin McNeil and Locke.

The Spartans (1-5) were plagued by a cold shooting night, firing at just 31-percent from the field (22-for-71) while the Aggies were able to drain 48-percent of their attempts (24-for-50). UNCG held a significant upper hand in rebounding, pulling down 50 boards as compared to 38 for the visitors - including a 23-7 advantage on the offensive glass.

There were 87 free throw attempts between the squads, with the Spartans hitting 30 of their 40 charity shots and North Carolina A&T dropping in 34 of 47 at the line. The teams also combined for 39 turnovers, resulting in 20 steals.

North Carolina A&T (3-5) placed three players in double figures in the victory, including a game-high 24 points for Lamont Middleton and 22 points for Jeremy Underwood off the bench. Bruce Beckford added 14 points while Austin Witter grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds.

The two teams came out of the gate slowly, trading baskets back and forth until the Spartans took a 22-16 lead as Simpson scored five-straight points to give UNCG a six-point lead. The Spartans started to go cold from the field from that point forward as North Carolina A&T posted a 24-5 run to take a 40-27 lead. The Aggies made four three-pointers during the run as they extended their lead to double figures before heading into the locker room with a 42-30 lead.

The Spartans connected on just 29.0 percent (9-of-31) from the field and just 23.1 percent (3-of-13) from long range in the first half. Locke led the Spartans with 10 points in the first half as he was 6-of-7 from the free throw line. N.C. A&T connected on 41.9 percent (13-of-31) from the field and 40 percent (6-of-15) from long range in the first half. Lamont Middleton and Jeremy Underwood led the way with 12 points apiece for the Aggies.

The Aggies opened the second half scoring the first four points of the half to extend their lead before the Spartans posted a 10-2 run to make it a 48-40 contest. Armstrong scored on back-to-back baskets in transition while Locke scored three times from the charity stripe in the run.

Each time the Spartans made a push, the Aggies had a response with consecutive baskets maintaining a double digit lead for most of the second half. UNCG made one final push narrowing the gap to 76-69 as Simpson scored on a drive and then went to the line for two free throws. He hit the first from the charity stripe before missing the second and the rebound went off a UNCG leg for the change of possession.

UNCG was also plagued by a tough shooting night from three-point land as it hit just 17.2 percent (5-of-29) from long range while the Aggies hit 38.1 percent (8-of-21). Three different Spartans missed at least five three-pointers in the off shooting night for UNCG.

The Spartans open Southern Conference play Saturday night as they wrap up their four-game home stretch by hosting The Citadel. 

Duquesne 73, Appalachian State 72

BOONE, N.C. - Appalachian State University men's basketball battled all the way back from a 14-point halftime deficit but Duquense's Quevyn Winters hit a go-ahead three-pointer with 31 seconds remaining to lift the visiting Dukes (2-3) to a 73-72 victory over the Mountaineers on Wednesday evening at the Holmes Center.

Appalachian State (1-5) trailed 47-33 at halftime but opened the second half on a 24-9 run to take 57-56 lead on a Nathan Healy three-pointer with 9:08 to go in the ballgame.

It was a back-and-forth affair the rest of the way, with neither team leading by more than three points at any point in the final nine minutes.

With under a minute to go and the score knotted at 68-68, Healy drove into the paint, drew two defenders and dished to wide-open freshman Michael Obacha on the baseline, whose layup gave the Mountaineers a 70-68 lead with 48 seconds to play.

However, on the ensuing possession, Winters drilled Duquesne's ninth three-pointer of the game from the left wing to retake a one-point lead.

Appalachian came up empty on its next possession and was forced to foul Duquesne's Jeremiah Jones, who made both free throws with 15 seconds remaining to stretch the Dukes' advantage to 73-70.

After Jay Canty pulled the Mountaineers' within a point with a layup with five seconds to go, Jones missed a pair of free throws with four seconds to go. However, the battle for the rebound left Appalachian with only a second on the clock when the loose ball finally settled into Healy's hands and his three-quarters-court attempt at the game-winner was off the mark.

Canty recorded a double-double with 15 points and 10 assists to lead Appalachian while Healy scored a team-high 21 points and senior 7-footer Brian Okam turned in perhaps the best performance of his career with seven big points on 3-of-3 shooting.

On the night, the Mountaineers shot 50.0 percent (29-of-58) including 9-of-20 from beyond the arc while the Dukes shot 41.3 percent (26-of-63) and were limited to just 9-of-29 in the second half.

Duquesne finished with a 39-30 edge in rebounds, including a 16-6 advantage on the offensive glass, and dished out 15 assists.

Appalachian dished out 18 assists and committed 18 turnovers while forcing the Dukes to turn the ball over 17 times. The Mountaineers also finished with six blocks, four of which came from Healy.

The Apps travel to No. 16 Missouri on Saturday for the first of a season-high four-straight road contests.

Florida Gulf Coast 86, Samford 62

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The Samford University basketball team fell prey to a 55.6-percent shooting performance from 3-point range from the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles on Wednesday as the Bulldogs dropped an 86-62 decision at home in non-conference play at the Pete Hanna Center.

Samford (1-7) moved to 1-2 when playing at home this season and will conclude its three-game homestand Saturday against Southern Conference-rival Georgia Southern. The upcoming league battle is slated to begin at noon (CST).

With Wednesday's road victory, Florida Gulf Coast (5-3) improved to 5-2 in its last seven games, with its losses coming at No. 9-ranked Duke, 88-67, and at St. John's 79-68.

Against Samford, the Eagles were led in scoring by shooting guard Sherwood Brown, who finished with a game-high 22 points on a 7-of-13 performance from the field. Florida Gulf Coast's senior native of Orlando, Fla., also went 4-of-6 from 3-point range and 4-of-5 from the free-throw line.

The Bulldogs finished Wednesday's contest with three players scoring in double figures and were led by sophomore guard Raijon Kelly's 13 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the floor. Samford's 6-foot-4 floor general knocked down a trio of 3-point baskets and handed out an assist in 31 minutes of playing time.

True freshman forward Tim Williams finished in double figures for the eighth straight game this season and tallied 12 points, three rebounds, an assist, a steal and a blocked shot. The Bulldogs' talented native of Chicago, Ill., went 4-of-6 from both the field and the charity stripe.

Samford's best performance of the night was achieved by fellow true freshman Jaylen Beckham, who scored a career-high 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the field. Beckham, a highly-touted recruit from Lexington, Ky., logged a career-high 24 minutes off the bench and also registered three rebounds, three assists and a trio of steals.

"Jaylen has worked very hard to get some good playing time," said Seltzer. "Tonight, he played a good game and took advantage of his opportunity. I'm happy to see that he played well, but there's still a lot of improvement that he has to make, as well as everybody else on this team."

The Bulldogs forced Florida Gulf Coast into 15 turnovers Wednesday, but were out-rebounded 44-25. The Eagles missed a total of 27 shots and were able to grab 17 offensive rebounds. Florida Gulf Coast also scored 36 of its 86 points in the paint.

"We've had three keys in every single game we've played this year," Seltzer said. "No. 1 is to get back in transition to stop their fast break. The second one is to box out on rebounds and the third is to get defensive stops. Taking care of the basketball has also been another one of our keys and we did a pretty good job of doing that tonight, but when you give up 17 offensive rebounds and a team shoots 57 percent in the second half, it's almost impossible to win."

Florida Gulf Coast jumped out to an early 20-5 advantage Wednesday and led by as many as 19 points, 31-12, with 6:18 left to play in the first half.

Down the stretch in the opening period, Samford used a pair of buckets from Beckham, a deep 3-pointer from Kelly and a layups from Levi Barnes and Tyler Hood to trim the Eagles lead to 34-24 at the intermission. The Bulldogs only shot 37 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes of play, but only trailed Florida Gulf Coast by 10 points at the half.

"We made a nice little run at the end of the first half, but it's hard to maintain that type of consistency," said Seltzer. "Again, consistency is built through those toughness stats, and until we can win those toughness stats, wins are going to be difficult to come by. We have to go back to the drawing board tomorrow. We'll practice tomorrow and Friday and then we'll toss it up again Saturday."

A little over a minute into the second half of play Wednesday, Samford's Clide Geffrard, Jr., scored on a layup to cut the Eagles' advantage to 36-28.

Florida Gulf Coast kept maintaining its double-digit lead throughout the final period, before it used a 7-0 run at the 6:37 mark to move the score to 65-47. From that point on, the Eagles were able to hold off any late Samford rallies en route to its final 86-62 victory.

The Samford University basketball team will next be in action Saturday at noon (CST) as the Bulldogs begin play in their critical SoCon schedule at home against the Georgia Southern Eagles. The contest will be held at the Pete Hanna Center.