Georgia Southern 78, Virginia Tech 73
BLACKSBURG, VA. - Georgia Southern posted a 78-73 upset over Virginia Tech on Saturday afternoon in the opening round of the 2012 Continental Tire Las Vegas Classic. The win is GSU's first win over a power conference team since victory over South Carolina in 1992. GSU led by as many as 16 in the final eight minutes of the game and never trailed in the victory.
"We had a great night shooting the ball from the perimeter tonight, especially when we made out inside-outside threes," said Head Coach Charlton "C.Y." Young. "We caught Virginia Tech on the right night, they didn't make the right shots tonight, but they are a very good basketball team. Our guys have really come together as a team over the last few weeks and it helped us get the win today."
C.J. Reed led Georgia Southern with 22 points, his largest total since transferring to Statesboro. He was 5-of-9 from downtown, leading Georgia Southern to its best night from downtown this year, making 11 from outside the arc.
Freshman sensation Cleon Roberts set a career high with 20 points, making four baskets from outside. Senior Cameron Baskerville was huge for the Eagles scoring 12 points for the Eagles including a perfect 6-for-6 mark from the free throw line. His final for shots from the stripe in the last 20 seconds secured the Eagle victory.
Junior Eric Ferguson scored 14 points with 10 rebounds for his 10th career double-double. Tre Bussey added eight points on the afternoon with four assists in 38 minutes of play.
Virginia Tech was led by 28 points from the nation's leading scorer, Erick Green. Jarrell Eddie scored 21, but the biggest stat of the night was rebounding. Georgia Southern out-rebounded the Hokies 41-38 including 16 rebounds on the offensive glass.
GSU was the aggressor in the early minutes, taking a quick 8-0 lead in the first half. Southern wouldn't surrender the lead in the first half and took a 35-27 lead into the halftime break. GSU held the Hokies offense to 0-for-9 shooting from downtown in the first half while making 7-of-14 from the bonusphere.
Out of the interval, GSU scored the first seven points of the second period, taking the lead out to 15 points just 70 seconds into the half. Georgia Southern held serve throughout the second half, keeping the lead at or above 10 points for much of the period. The Eagles led by as many as 16 with 7:55 remaining in the game.
A 12-3 Virginia Tech run cut the GSU advantage to seven points with just less than three minutes remaining as the Hokies began press the Eagles. A three-pointer with 54 seconds remaining by Jarrell Eddie cut the lead to three points in the final minute.
Baskerville was fouled with 19 seconds remaining, sending the senior to the line with a three-point lead. He made both chances, but the Hokies added a layup on the other end with 14 seconds left to cut the lead back to three. Baskerville earned another trip to the line where he remained perfect with two more points and a five-point GSU lead.
Virginia Tech was unable to score on the ensuing possession as Georgia Southern earned the 79-73 victory.
GSU shot 69 percent from the free throw line in the second half and improved from the field to with 14 baskets from the field. The Eagles finished the night shooting 44 percent from the field. The Eagles held one of the nation's best shooting teams to 40 percent shooting from the field while making just 6-of-27 from downtown.
Davidson 77, UNC Wilmington 61
DAVIDSON, N.C. - The frontcourt of Jake Cohen (21), De'Mon Brooks (14), Chris Czerapowicz (14) and Clint Mann (13) combined for 62 points to lead Davidson to a 77-61 victory over UNCW in non-conference men's basketball action Saturday evening at Belk Arena.
Led by Brooks' 12 rebounds for his fifth career double-double, the Wildcats held a 38-27 rebounding advantage, while both teams were relatively even from the field as Davidson shot 49.1 percent and UNCW shot 47.4 percent.
Czerapowicz was 4-of-6 from beyond the arc and 5-for-9 overall from the field, and also had five rebounds. Cohen had four boards and hit 3-of-6 3-point attempts. All 13 of Mann's points came in the first half and included one 3-pointer, as Davidson hit 9-of-22 attempts. Tyler Kalinoski was the lone Wildcat guard to sink a trey.
Free throws were a decisive factor, as Davidson (6-4) converted 16-of-20 attempts, led by Cohen who sank all eight of his tries. The Wildcats yielded just 10 attempts to UNCW (4-6), of which the Seahawks only converted four.
Keith Rendleman paced UNCW with 20 points and nine rebounds, and Tanner Milson added 10 points, hitting two treys.
After sluggish starts by both teams, Mann got his club going with 11 consecutive Davidson points, as the Wildcats closed the period on a 16-8 spurt to head into the break up, 35-23.
UNCW opened the second half 6-of-9 from the floor to cut the deficit to three on separate occasions, but Davidson responded with an 11-2 run to stretch its lead back to double digits with 12:20 remaining. For a seven-minute stretch, Davidson was unable to extend its lead to anymore than 13, but UNCW was unable to shrink it to less than nine.
A Cohen 3-ball with 3:35 remaining put the game out of reach with a 70-56 lead. TheWildcats' largest lead came with 59 seconds remaining after Nik Cochran converted a traditional 3-point play.
No. 15 Georgetown 81, Western Carolina 68
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Tom Tankelewicz paced Western Carolina with a career-high 24 points including six made 3-pointers, but it was not enough as No. 15 Georgetown held off the Catamounts' upset bid for an 81-68 victory Saturday afternoon at the Verizon Center.
Georgetown improved to 9-1 on the season while Western Carolina dropped to 4-7 overall.
Tankelewicz finished 8-of-14 from the floor including 6-for-11 from beyond the 3-point arc to lead a trio of Catamounts in double figures. The Apex, N.C., native matched two of his teammates with a team-best four rebounds, all coming on the offensive end. Redshirt junior Trey Sumler scored 11 points off the bench while Preston Ross battled through foul trouble to score 10 on 4-for-4 shooting including a four-point play after being fouled on a made 3-pointer in the first half.
Junior Brandon Boggs and sophomore James Sinclair - who ran the point a large portion of the first half - both recorded seven points apiece with the latter dishing out four assists.
Greg Whittington paced four Hoyas in double figures with a double-double effort of a career-high 25 points and 11 rebounds. Jabril Trawick added a career-best 14 points and Otto Porter Jr., had 12 for the Hoyas which won their sixth-straight game.
Tankelewicz sparked an early rally that saw the Catamounts jump out to a seven-point, 13-to-6, lead in the opening stanza. However, Georgetown slowly melted the WCU advantage, taking the lead for what proved to be for good on a Whittington lay-up midway through the first half.
Sinclair drained a 3-pointer just inside of five minutes to play before the break to pull the Catamounts back within two, 29-27. However, WCU was outscored 13-to-3 the final four minutes as Georgetown took a 12-point, 42-30, lead into intermission.
After the half, the Hoyas stretched their lead to 20 points just five minutes into the frame thanks to a 14-to-6 run, and managed a game-high 26-point edge, 66-40, off a Markel Starks lay-up at the 11:24 mark. The Catamounts would not simply go away, though. A trio of 3-pointers on three-consecutive possessions inside the final two and a half minutes closed WCU to within 12 with 1:37 remaining. But, turnovers on WCU's final two possessions allowed Georgetown to close out the game and score the victory.
WCU was outrebounded by seven, 34-to-27, and took just one fewer shot from the field than did the Hoyas, 53-to-52. However, Georgetown scored 23 points from the free throw line, enjoying a 33-to-14 edge in free throw attempts.
UMass 78, Elon 73 (OT)
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - The Elon University men's basketball team overcame an eight-point second-half deficit to send a back and forth battle with UMass to overtime, but the Phoenix fell just short in the extra session, dropping a 78-73 decision to the Minutemen in the Hall of Fame Holiday Showcase game at the MassMutual Center.
Elon moves to 6-4 on the year with the setback, while UMass improves to 5-3.
"We fought hard for all 40 minutes and if we continue to fight like we did today and keep climbing the ladder, we'll be successful as we go forward," said Phoenix head coach Matt Matheny. "I'm very proud of the way we competed on the glass today. I really felt if we could outrebound [UMass] or keep it even it would be a close game and that's exactly what it was."
Following a missed jumper by the Phoenix, Tanner Samson hit a clutch three-pointer for Elon with 8.3 seconds remaining in the second period to tie the game at 66-all and complete the eight point comeback.
UMass' Chaz Williams had a chance to put the Minutemen ahead with 2.2 seconds left at the free throw line for two shots, but missed both attempts to keep the game knotted at 66-all at the end of regulation.
Lucas Troutman tied the game at 70-all in overtime with a pair of free throw makes with 1:47 remaining, but the Minutemen pulled away from that point forward with a 5-0 run to all but seal it down the stretch.
Jack Isenbarger tied for a game-high with 22 points on 6-of-20 shooting, including a 4-of-14 clip from beyond the arc.
Troutman recorded his first double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 boards, including seven on offense. Sebastian Koch fell just short of a double-double with 15 points and nine boards.
Elon won the battle on the glass, 53-48, marking the first time the team has outrebounded its opponent and not come away victorious this season. The Phoenix totaled a season-high 20 offensive rebounds in the game. Tony Sabato grabbed a season-high eight boards in the contest.
Trailing by two points with 6:25 remaining in the first period, Isenbarger put the Phoenix ahead by one, 21-20, after sinking three free-throw attempts after a UMass foul on his three-point attempt from the corner near the Minutemen bench.
An Austin Hamilton layup as the halftime buzzer sounded rimmed out, as the Phoenix and Minutemen went to the locker room tied, 33-all, at intermission.
Isenbarger led all players with 16 points in the opening frame, as the Phoenix shot 34 percent from the field on 12-of-35 field goal attempts. Elon capitalized on seven miscues by the Minutemen in the first 20 minutes, scoring 13 points off turnovers. Overall, Elon won the turnover battle against the Minutemen, 18-16.
The Minutemen opened up an eight-point lead with 10:16 left in the second half after a fast-break layup by Chaz Williams made it a 50-42 game.
Hamilton pulled the Phoenix within three with 1:08 left after splitting a pair from the line to make it a 64-61 game. Hamilton made it a one-point game seconds later after hitting two from the line to make it a 64-63 game.
Samson connected on the game-tying three pointer as the clocked ticked down, as a missed jumper by Koch led to an open three on the left wing by Samson to tie it at 66-all with 8.3 seconds left.
The two teams continued to battle back and forth to begin overtime, but the Minutemen pulled away late after hitting key free throws down the stretch. UMass shot 66 percent from the charity stripe on 31-of-47 attempts.
Gardner-Webb 71, The Citadel 58
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. - Gardner-Webb's Donta Harper notched a game-high 27 points, including 16 in the second half, as the Runnin' Bulldogs captured the 71-58 victory over The Citadel at Paul Porter Arena on Saturday evening. Redshirt freshman Dylen Setzekorn led the charge for the Cadets with 16 points off the bench, while teammate Mike Groselle notched his 25th career double-double courtesy 14 points and 15 rebounds.
The Citadel (3-5) struggled to find any offensive rhythm, hitting just 19-of-55 (.345) from the floor and 4-of-15 (.267) from 3-point range. A bulk of the Dogs offense came from the free throw line as they finished 16-of-23 (.696) due in large part to GWU committing 20 personal fouls.
Setzekorn recorded his season-high in points after hitting 4-of-8 from the field, knocking down two second half 3-pointers, and converting all six attempts from the charity stripe. Meanwhile, Groselle was 5-of-14 from the floor and snagged nine of his game-high 14 rebounds on the offensive glass. Teammate Ashton Moore also had a solid all-around performance, scoring seven points to go along with a career-best six caroms.
Harper's performance came after finishing 12-of-17 from the floor, limiting himself to a pair of missed field goal attempts in the second half. He was joined in scoring by teammates Max Landis (16 points) and Corey Hensley (11 points), who combined to hit 9-of-20 from the field and 6-for-8 from the free throw line. Tyler Strange handed out eight assists for Gardner-Webb, who moves to 7-5 overall on the season.
GWU finished 29-of-61 (.475) after a solid shooting performance in the second half that saw the Runnin' Bulldogs hit 19-of-31 (.613) from the floor and knock down three 3-pointers. Gardner-Webb held a 44-24 edge in points in the paint despite being outrebounded 43-31 by The Citadel.
The Citadel maintained its three-point edge in the first 3:02 of the second half, following points by Groselle, Matt Van Scyoc and Quinton Marshall, before a Max Landis 3-pointer at the 16:28 mark deadlocked the game at 32-32.
Gardner-Webb accounted for 11 of the next 13 points, pairing five points by Harper with a series of 3-pointers by Kevin Hartley and Landis, to open up a 45-34 lead at the 12:47 mark.
Marshall and Setzekorn combined for three straight free throws and following a jumper in the lane by Lawrence Miller, The Citadel trimmed the lead to 45-39 in just over one minute of play.
The two teams traded baskets before a dunk by Harper energized the Gardner-Webb faithful and eventually pushed the margin back to double digits, 51-41.
GWU extended the lead to 57-44 on a Hensley layup before a jumper from just outside the lane by Groselle and a 3-pointer by Setzekorn drew the Bulldogs to within 57-49.
The Citadel continued to apply pressure on the defensive end and following free throws by Harris III the lead was sliced to 57-51.
After Setzekorn's second 3-pointer of the half, this time at the 5:06 mark, Gardner-Webb scored nine unanswered to pull in front 68-54. The Runnin' Bulldogs split the final six points of the contest to complete the 71-58 victory.
Behind a Moore jumper from 18-feet away with 24 seconds left in the first half, The Citadel took a 26-23 lead into the intermission. Moore capped off the opening frame with five points, hitting 2-of-5 from the field, while Groselle scored eight points to lead Bulldog scorers.
The Citadel hit just 8-of-27 (.296) from the field in the first half and among those were two 3-pointers by the tandem of Moore and Van Scyoc. Among the keys for the Cadets success was their free throw shooting (8-9) and 28-13 advantage on the glass against Gardner-Webb.
Gardner-Webb's offense was impacted by a 10-for-30 performance from the field in the first half. The Runnin' Bulldogs struggled to find their range from beyond the perimeter, hitting just 1-12, due in large part to The Citadel's zone defense. GWU also committed 13 turnovers, limiting their offensive possessions.
The Citadel started out strong with a Van Scyoc 3-pointer to open the game, but following four points by Harper GWU assumed an 8-7 lead at the 15:08 mark.
Seven straight Citadel points, including a Moore 3-pointer, in just under two minutes provided a six-point edge, 14-8.
Free throw shooting kept the Bulldogs in front as The Citadel hit six from the line after going just over nine minutes without a bucket.
Knotted at 20-20, The Citadel scored six of the final nine points in the half, to assume the three-point advantage at the intermission.
Auburn 64, Furman 50
AUBURN, Ala. - Chris Denson scored a game-high 17 points and Jordan Price buried all four of his three-point attempts to tally 14 points as Auburn topped Furman, 64-50, in non-conference men's basketball action on Saturday night at Auburn Arena.
The Tigers converted on 8-of-17 shots from beyond the arc and held the Paladins to a season-low 31 percent (16-52) from the field to improve to 4-5. The loss dropped Furman to 3-6 overall and 0-3 on the road this season.
Leading 19-15 in the first half, Auburn finished the opening period on a 16-5 run and held Furman to just one field goal over the final 8:10 to carry a 35-20 lead into the locker room. Allen Payne extended the Tigers' advantage to their largest lead of the night at 40-22 on a three-pointer with 18:08 remaining.
Larry Wideman drained a three-pointer and Charlie Reddick converted on a layup off of an offensive rebound with 12:44 to play to pull Furman within 11 points at 44-33, but Auburn held the Paladins without another field goal for the next 4:13 to fashion a 7-1 run that Priced capped with a trey at the 8:55 mark to put the Tigers ahead 51-34. Furman got no closer than 12 points the rest of the way as Auburn improved to 4-1 in the all-time series versus the Paladins.
Denson scored his 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting and added six rebounds. Price connected on 5-of-6 shots to total his 14 points while Frankie Sullivan contributed 11 points and seven assists.
Auburn shot 43 percent from the floor and held a commanding 42-29 edge on the glass. The Tigers outscored Furman 32-18 in the paint and tallied 13 second chance points off of 15 offensive rebounds.
Colin Reddick, who entered the game leading Furman in scoring and rebounding, netted a team-high 14 points to go with five boards and three assists. The senior's two blocked shots moved him into a tie with Will Coles for eighth on Furman's career blocked shots ledger with 86 rejections. Kendrec Ferrara reached double figures for the fourth straight game with 10 points while adding a career-best seven rebounds.
Furman made just 6-of-29 shots in the first half before shooting 44 percent after intermission to finish at 31 percent from the floor. The Paladins connected on 13-of-17 free throw attempts, but made only 5-of-22 three-point tries. Furman's eight turnovers were its fewest since a December 6, 2011, game against UVa-Wise.
Sam Houston State 73, Samford 57
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The Samford University basketball team used an early second-half run to trim Sam Houston State's lead to 44-40 on Saturday before the Bearkats' depth became a factor down the stretch as they held off the Bulldogs, 73-57, at the Pete Hanna Center.
"We came out a bit sluggish in the first half and they were able to build a pretty good lead against us," said Samford head coach Bennie Seltzer. "In the second half, we cut their lead to four, but our margin of error as a team is very small. We don't have a large margin of error. We have to make sure that we limit our mistakes and tonight we just made too many mistakes."
Samford (2-10) committed four more turnovers than Sam Houston State (5-5) on Saturday, but the Bearkats capitalized on their chances to score 19 points off the Bulldogs' miscues. Sam Houston State finished the points-off-turnovers battle with a 19-9 advantage.
With 14:54 remaining in the second half, Samford's Brandon Hayman scored on a back-door layup to trim the Bearkats' lead to 44-40. Prior to Hayman's bucket, the Bulldogs took advantage of back-to-back layups from Will Cook and Tim Williams. Samford also capitalized on a jumper from Cook and a driving layup from Raijon Kelly during its 10-6 run to start the second half.
Following their quick start in the final period, the Bulldogs hung around with Sam Houston State for a majority of the half and were only trailing by six, 53-47, with 9:37 left to play.
At that point, the Bearkats reeled off a 9-2 run and extended their advantage to 62-49 at the 6:49 mark in the game. The key shot for Sam Houston State was a deep 3-point basket from Will Bond.
Down the stretch, Samford never gave up and the Bulldogs cut the Bearkats' lead to 66-57 with 2:56 remaining in the game.
True freshman Clide Geffrard, Jr., turned in Samford's best performance of the night and finished with a game-high 16 points and a team-high six rebounds. The Bulldogs' 6-foot-5 native of Pompano Beach, Fla., played 35 minutes Saturday and went 5-of-9 from the field. He also drained a pair of 3-pointer baskets and tallied two blocked shots and an assist.
After Geffrard, Jr.'s shot trimmed Sam Houston State's lead to 66-57, the Bearkats closed out the game on a 7-0 run to tally the 73-57 victory.
Sam Houston State received 39 points from its bench Saturday and was led in scoring by Darius Gatson's 15 points. Gatson, a 5-foot-11 senior guard from Houston, Texas, was the Bearkats' only starter to score in double figures. Sam Houston State's remaining double-figure scorers were Bond with 13 and Terrance Motley with 10.
A predominant portion of Samford's scoring was achieved by its starters. Geffrard, Jr., paced the Bulldogs with 16 points, while Kelly dropped in 15 points on 4-of-12 shooting and Williams scored 12 points on a 4-of-7 performance from the field. Kelly turned in one of his best all-around outings of the season Saturday by also posting five rebounds, three assists in 39 minutes of game action.