Appalachian State 81, UMKC 71
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Tevin Baskin scored a team-high 18 points and three other players scored in double figures as Appalachian State University men's basketball snapped a seven-game losing streak with an 81-71 win at UMKC on Sunday at the Swinney Center.
The Mountaineers (2-7) shot a blistering 61.9 percent (13-of-21) in the second half and connected on each of their final 17 free throws as they downed the Kangaroos (4-6) in the first-ever meeting between the two schools.
After trailing by one point in the opening minutes of play, Appalachian would reel off a 6-0 run to take an 11-7 lead with 14:19 remaining in the first half.
UMKC would cut its deficit to two points (13-11) just moments later, but back-to-back buckets from Baskin and Jamaal Trice would extend the Mountaineer lead to seven points (18-11) with 11:56 remaining in the first half.
A jumper and a three-pointer from Tab Hamilton would give App State its largest first-half lead (26-17) with just under nine minutes to play, but the 'Roos went on an 11-2 run over the next five minutes to tie the contest at 28-28.
UMKC would regain the lead with 1:11 on the clock but Jay Canty would nail a fast-break layup with two seconds left to send the Mountaineers into the locker room with a 33-32 halftime lead.
The first 10 minutes of the second half provided plenty of entertainment as the 'Roos would grab a four-point lead (38-34) with an initial 6-2 run out of the break. Appalachian was able to turn the tide with a 15-6 run to jump back in front by five (49-44) with 12:47 left to play.
It would be all the momentum the Mountaineers would need as they never trailed the rest of the way, leading by as many as 14 points (75-61) in the final four minutes en route to their first win since Nov. 9.
Baskin finished 7-of-12 from the floor and ripped down four rebounds while Hamilton finished with 17 points and connected on all eight free-throw attempts. Trice, who knocked down four three pointers ,poured in 16 points and Canty scored 12 while grabbing a team-high six rebounds. Mike Neal dished out four assists and scored four points in his season debut.
UMKC was paced by 18 points from Nelson Kirksey while Estan Tyler notched 15. Thomas Staton (12) also scored in double-figures for the Kangaroos.
On the day, Appalachian shot 55.3 percent from the floor, went 6-of-11 from long range and connected on 23-of-30 free throws. UMKC shot 51.0 percent and hit 16-of-17 free throws but was just 3-of-14 from beyond the arc. The Apps finished with a 25-23 edge in rebounds and forced 14 UMKC turnovers.
The Mountaineers return to action at South Carolina on Wednesday for a 5 p.m. contest against the Gamecocks.
James Madison 85, UNCG 73
HARRISONBURG, Va. - The UNCG men's basketball team rallied from a 20-point halftime hole and cut the deficit to three points twice in the second half, but the Spartans suffered an 85-73 non-conference loss to James Madison Sunday afternoon at the Convocation Center.
"Our effort out of the gate wasn't where it needed to be and James Madison's was, that was the difference in the game," head coach Wes Miller said. "Out of the half, our guys responded how I would expect them to being down 20 points. We made some adjustments at halftime and our guys executed those well, but we dug ourselves into too deep a hole with our play in the first half."
The Spartans connected on just 25.8 percent (8-of-31) from the field and 22.2 percent (2-of-9) from three-point land in the first half as they were out-scored 49-29. Conversely, UNCG held the edge in the second half 44-36 as it hit 47.1 percent (16-of-34) from the field and 43.8 percent (7-of-16) from long range as the Spartans tried to overcome the 20-point deficit.
Junior Trevis Simpson led all scorers with 24 points, 18 of which came in the second half. Simpson connected on 8-of-19 from the field, including three three-pointers. Sophomore Nicholas Paulos added a season-high 15 points off the bench as he 5-of-6 from three-point land in the loss.
James Madison connected on 56.6 percent (30-of-53) from the field and 46.2 percent (6-of-13) from long range on the game. The Dukes forced UNCG into 15 turnovers and capitalized those miscues into 21 points. Rayshawn Goins posted a double-double of 23 points and 11 rebounds while Devon Moore added 22 points, nine rebounds and seven assists in the victory.
The Spartans and Dukes traded baskets during the early going of the first half with UNCG trailing 11-9 at the 13:51 mark. The Spartans got the to free throw line early as seven of their first nine points came from the charity stripe, including the first four points of the game for UNCG from fifth-year senior Kelvin McNeil.
James Madison broke the half open as it started firing on all cylinders offensively, posting a 15-3 run to take a 26-12 lead on its way to a 49-29 halftime lead. The Dukes connected on 56.3 percent (18-of-32) from the field and hit 6-of-12 from three-point land in the first half. Conversely, the short-handed Spartans were held to just 25.8 percent (8-of-31) shooting from the field and just 22.2 percent (2-of-9) from long range.
UNCG also committed 11 first half turnovers, which led to 18 points for the Dukes. Goins led all scorers with 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field and 4-of-5 shooting from the free throw line. McNeil and Simpson paced the Spartans with six points apiece in the opening frame while UNCG battled through foul trouble for the depleted lineup. The Spartans only dressed nine scholarship players in the game and had three players with two first half fouls and one player with three first half fouls to limit their success.
UNCG came out of the halftime break and quickly turned the momentum as it scored the first five points of the half on its way to a 17-3 run that trimmed the deficit to 52-46 just 5:33 into the second half. Simpson was the catalyst with nine points during the spurt while Paulos also started to heat up as he combined with Simpson on back-to-back three-pointers forcing JMU into its second timeout of the half.
James Madison slowed the UNCG charge momentarily as it scored on consecutive possessions to run the lead back to double figures. The Spartans kept pace though with a 9-4 run to pull back within five as Paulos hit a pair of three-pointers surrounding a Simpson long-range shot.
UNCG made it a one-possession game at the 7:05 mark of the half as junior Drew Parker scored on a drive to make it a 64-61 contest. The Spartans were able to keep it a one possession game when Simpson hit a jumper with 6:23 left, but James Madison scored four straight points to pad the lead before closing out the game at the free throw line where it hit 12 of its final 16 from the line to improve to 4-6 on the year.
UNCG out-rebounded the Dukes by a 40-32 margin, including 18 offensive rebounds in the loss as they scored 18 second-chance points. McNeil grabbed a team-high nine rebounds and added eight points while David Williams chipped in six points and nine rebounds.
Mercer 63, Chattanooga 53
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- The Chattanooga Mocs (2-8) battled back from a double-digit deficit before losing 63-53 to Mercer (6-5) Sunday afternoon in McKenzie Arena. Chattanooga was sparked by freshman walk-on Alex Bran.
Bran entered the game at the 15:01 mark of the second half with his team down 16, 41-25. He scored five points on back-to-back possessions sparking a 10-0 run that ended at 12:52 with a three-pointer by Bran.
The Bears regrouped and built the margin back to 14, 53-39, on a T.J. Hallice layup with 8:26 to play. But the Mocs continued to battle. Two Ronrico White free throws with 1:37 left got UTC to within six, 59-53, but those were the last points of the game for the Mocs.
Mercer's Langston Hall led all scorers with 19 points while adding five rebounds, four assists and two steals. He hit six of 12 shots including five for nine from three-point range.
Z. Mason paced Chattanooga with 13 points, eight rebounds and three blocks. Gee McGhee chipped in 12 points and four boards, while Bran posted eight points. Martynas Bareika added a career-high seven rebounds.
It was a tough shooting night for the home team. UTC hit 33.3 percent (18-54) from the field and 26.9 percent (7-26) from beyond the arc. Usually dominant on the glass, the Mocs struggled with the Bears claiming a 38-33 advantage on the boards.
Chattanooga got off to a good start. An 8-0 run capped by a Mason layup put the Mocs up 10-5 early with 16:48 to go until intermission. Mercer took control of the game with 19 unanswered points, holding its opponents without a point for 8:42 with a jumper by McGhee ending the drought.
Down 15, 33-18, McGhee scored on a jumper and a layup on the Mocs final two possessions to send his squad to the break on an upswing down 33-22.
Bran, Bareika and Sam Watson were impactful off the bench for Chattanooga. The trio combined for 15 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and a steal.