Western Carolina 70,
Appalachian State 64
CULLOWHEE, N.C. –
Tom Tankelewicz led four Catamounts in double figures with a career-high 19
points including five made 3-pointers as Western Carolina erased a 13-point
second half deficit to rally past archrival Appalachian State, 70-64, Saturday
afternoon in Southern Conference action in the Ramsey Center.
The win snaps a two-game slide for the Catamounts while
giving WCU a 2-0 start in SoCon play with a key North Division victory. With
the loss, Appalachian State was relegated to its seventh straight defeat,
dropping to 1-7 and 0-1 in league play to open 2012-13.
Western Carolina (4-6, 2-0 SoCon) trailed by 13 points
following a Jamaal Trice jumper at the 16:57 mark of the second half – the
largest lead of the game for either squad. The Catamounts used a 10-2 spurt to
close to within five points, 45-40, four minutes later, only to see ASU stretch
the advantage back out to nine.
WCU continued to chip away at the Mountaineer advantage,
tying the game for the third time on a jumper in the paint by Tawaski King with
six and a half minutes to play. King’s two made free throws at the five-minute
mark gave the Catamounts their first lead of the second half – and the first
since the five-minute mark of the opening 20 minutes.
Trice again handed the advantage back to the Mountaineers
with a triple from the right wing just inside the four-minute mark. However,
the Catamounts reclaimed the lead for what proved to be the final time at the
2:51 mark on a 3-pointer by Tankelewicz, making it 61-60, WCU.
Leading by just two points, 66-64, following a dunk by Jay
Canty, Western Carolina got a second chance after an offensive rebound that
rolled out of bounds off a Mountaineer defender. On the ensuing possession,
Trey Sumler fed Tankelewicz in the right corner, where the Apex, N.C., native
buried a back-breaking 3-pointer, making it a five-point game. Sumler added a
free throw at the 11-second mark to provide the final tally.
King finished with 14 points and a team-best eight rebounds
while Sumler chipped in 13 points, including seven from the charity stripe
after struggling from the floor (3-for-10). Sumler did add a game-high three
steals, including a crucial theft and a dribble drive that split two Appalachian
State defenders for an old-fashioned 3-point play during WCU’s decisive second
half run.
Sophomore James Sinclair rounded out the four in double
figures with 12 points, adding seven rebounds, two assists and a steal, while
Brandon Boggs scored eight off the bench, pulling down five boards.
Appalachian State jumped out to an early lead over Western
Carolina in the opening 20 minutes before the Catamounts found their offensive
groove. Down 16-11, the Catamounts used a 12- 3 run to erase the deficit and
claim a four-point edge of their own. Four different WCU players scored during
the surge, including five-straight points from Sinclair to cap the run.
The Mountaineers managed a run of their own, though,
outscoring Western Carolina 16- 2 over the final 5:19 of the first half to
carry a 10-point, 36-26, lead into the halftime locker room. During the Mountaineers’
run, the Catamounts turned the ball over three times and went 0-for-6 from the
floor.
Canty, the second-leading scorer in the SoCon, paced the
Mountaineers with a game-high 22 points and three assists, while Nathan Healy
scored 15 and pulled down a game-best nine rebounds. Tab Hamilton rounded out
the trio of Appalachian State players in double figures with 10 points on
4-of-10 shooting, including 1-for-4 from beyond the arc.
Western Carolina now takes its longest break of the season
to date for final exams, returning to action next Saturday, Dec. 15, against
nationally ranked Georgetown in Washington, D.C. Scheduled for a noon tip-off,
the game will be televised on MASN and ESPN3. It is the first-ever meeting
between the Catamounts and the Hoyas.
The Mountaineers return to nonconference action at UMKC on
Saturday at 2 p.m. before heading back east to take on South Carolina at 5 p.m.
on Dec. 19.
Davidson 63, Wofford
56
DAVIDSON, N.C. –
Davidson opened the contest with six straight 3-pointers and Nik Cochran
recorded his first career double-double as the Wildcats held off Wofford,
63-56, in Southern Conference men’s basketball action Saturday night in Belk
Arena.
Davidson (5-4, 2-0 SoCon) led the game from start to finish,
leading by as much as 21 in the first half, but Wofford (4-6, 0-1 SoCon) was
able to whittle the Wildcat advantage down to three late in the contest.
Cochran, who entered the game hitting 95.5 percent from the
free throw line, went 10-of-11 from the charity stripe en route to 15 points
and grabbed a personal-best 10 rebounds. Tyler Kalinoski added 11 points,
including three 3-pointers, while Jake Cohen scored eight points, seven
rebounds and five blocks. Chris Czerapowicz, Tom Droney and De’Mon Brooks also
had eight points each.
Reserves Taylor Wagener and Indiana Faithfull led Wofford
with 14 and 12 points, respectively.
Despite the Wildcats' fast start, Davidson finished the game
shooting 40.8 percent from the field but held Wofford to 35.7 percent. The
‘Cats were strong from the free throw line, hitting 80 percent (16-for-20) of
their attempts.
Davidson started the game by sinking its first six attempts
from beyond the arc and playing solid defense, opening an 18-4 lead within the
first seven minutes. Cochran and Czerapowicz sank the first two before
Kalinoski drained three straight. Droney sank the sixth three-ball before a
Clint Mann miss ended the streak.
Brooks scored Davidson’s first two-point bucket with 11:56
remaining in the first half, but made it the ‘Cats seventh straight three-point
play by drawing a foul and converting the free throw.
The Wildcats’ lead grew to 21 after a pair of Cohen free
throws with 3:36 remaining, but Wofford finished the half on a 12-0 run to
shrink Davidson’s lead to nine at 31-22.
After Davidson stretched its lead back to 15 with 12:34 to
go following a three-point play by Brooks, Wofford responded with a 20-8 spurt,
capped off by a 3-pointer from Karl Cochran to cut the deficit to 53-50 with
4:48 to play.
The Wildcats got consecutive buckets from Cohen and
stretched their lead back to double digits to put the game out of reach.
Davidson returns to nonconference play, hosting UNCW in Belk
Arena next Saturday. Wofford returns to play at Jacksonville on Dec. 18 at 7:15
p.m.
Georgia Southern 79,
Brewton-Parker 56
STATESBORO, Ga. –
Georgia Southern’s men’s basketball team rolled to its third win of the season
with a 79-56 thrashing of Brewton-Parker on Saturday night at Hanner
Fieldhouse.
Eric Ferguson led the Eagles with 18 points in the contest,
with 13 coming in the first half. The junior added three steals in the game as
five Eagles scored in double figures.
Redshirt senior C.J. Reed went 4-for-5 from 3-point range to
score 16 points in the game. Junior Tre Bussey added 14 points of his own to
score in double figures for the sixth time this year.
Freshman phenom Cleon Roberts opened his evening with the
first six points of the game, knocking down a pair of 3-pointers early. Roberts
went on to score 13 points on the evening. Marvin Baynham scored in double
figures for the second time this year with 11 points.
The Eagles opened the night with 11 straight points, but saw
Brewton-Parker battle back to trail by just five points with just less than 10
minutes remaining in the opening period. GSU then put its foot down, outscoring
the Barons 19-4 over the final nine minutes of the first half to take a 48-24
lead into the intermission.
GSU flirted with a school record for field goal shooting
percentage, posting a 70.4 percent mark in the first half, but saw that mark
tumble in the second half to 60.4 percent for the evening.
On the glass, GSU won the rebounding battle 33-26 with nine
boards from Cameron Baskerville, matching his season high.
The Eagles cruised to the ictory despite being outscored
32-31 in the second half. The Barons were led by 26 points by Darrie Stephens.
Georgia Southern visits Virginia Tech next on Dec. 15 at 2
p.m. in the opening game of the 2012 Continental Tire Las Vegas Classic. The
game can be seen live on ESPN3.com. GSU then heads to Bradley for a game two
nights later against the Braves.
Bowling Green 57,
Samford 42
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio –
The Samford University men’s basketball team was outscored by the Bowling Green
Falcons, 40-15, in the second half of play Saturday as the Bulldogs dropped a
57-42 nonconference decision held at the Stroh Center.
Samford (2-9), which led by as many as 14 points in the
first half, 27-13, went cold in the final period and only shot 27.3 percent
from the floor down the stretch. The Bulldogs scored 15 points in the final 20
minutes of action and turned in a cold 1-of-8 performance from 3-point range in
the second half.
Bowling Green (5-4) turned in its dismal offensive half in
the opening period as the Falcons only shot 29.6 percent from the field early
on. Bowling Green started the second half with a 19-6 run and took its first
lead of the game at the 11:17 mark following a 3-point basket from Jordon
Crawford.
Crawford, the Falcons’ speedy 5-foot-6 point guard from
Cincinnati, Ohio, went 0-for-9 from the field in the first half but ended up
scoring a team-high 14 points. Crawford added six rebounds and five assists in
38 minutes.
Once the Falcons garnered the lead Saturday, they used a
pair of free throws from Anthony Henderson and a barrage of layups from Richaun
Holmes, Crawford, Luke Kraus and Cameron Black to extend their lead to 45-36
with 5:59 left to play. Holmes finished with seven points, five rebounds and
three blocks to help spark Bowling Green in the second half.
Samford was forced to foul the Falcons down the stretch and
Bowling Green turned in a 9-of-10 performance from the free-throw line in the
final three minutes of play.
With Saturday’s loss, the Bulldogs dropped to 0-7 when
playing away from home this season. Samford’s 42-point performance was its
lowest of the 2012-13 campaign. Just five days ago, Bowling Green limited
Wright State to 41 points and held the Raiders scoreless for the final 5:08 of
the game.
The Bulldogs’ offensive attack was paced by sophomore guard
Raijon Kelly with 14 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field. Kelly,
Samford’s 6-foot-4 floor general from St. Paul, Minn., also handed out a
game-high six assists and pulled down five rebounds. He drained a pair of
first-half 3-point baskets but committed a team-high four turnovers in 37
minutes of playing time.
Tim Williams, the Bulldogs’ 6-foot-8 true freshman from
Chicago, Ill., scored in double figures for the 11th consecutive
game of his budding collegiate career Saturday and finished with 12 points and
nine rebounds in a team-high 38 minutes of game action.
Samford’s Kelly and Williams combined to score 11 of the
Bulldogs’ 15 points in the second half. Sophomore guard Connor Miller added
three points in the final period, while Jaylen Beckham knocked down a free
throw.
Clide Geffrard Jr. connected on a pair of 3-point baskets
for six points Saturday but was held scoreless in the final 20 minutes of
action.
Samford shot 52.6 percent from the field in the first half
of play and took a 27-17 lead into the locker room. The Bulldogs knocked down
3-of-4 3-point attempts in the opening half and were paced offensively by
Kelly’s 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the floor.
Geffrard Jr. added six first-half points for Samford as he
drained a pair of 3-point baskets. Williams collected five points and three
rebounds in the opening 20 minutes of play.
Both teams committed six turnovers in the first half, but
Samford limited Bowling Green to a lackluster 29.6-percent shooting from the
field. The Falcons shot 8-of-27 from the floor in the first half and went
0-of-5 from 3-point range.
Bowling Green’s leading scorer in the opening period was
A’uston Calhoun with eight points on 4-of-7 shooting. He also helped pace the
Falcons in rebounding with four along with Crawford. Crawford, who entered the
game averaging 16.6 points per game this season, went 0-for-9 from the field in
the first half.
The Samford University basketball team will next be in
action Dec. 15 at 7 p.m. (CST) as the Bulldogs return home to Birmingham, Ala.,
for a nonconference showdown against the Sam Houston State Bearkats to be held
in the Pete Hanna Center.
Eastern Kentucky 63,
Chattanooga 52
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. –
A slow start doomed the Chattanooga Mocs (2-6) in a 63-52 loss to visiting
Eastern Kentucky (9-0) Saturday night. UTC’s first field goal came at the 15:10
mark in the first half and the Mocs could not dig out of the early hole.
Drazen Zlovaric led Chattanooga with 12 points. Glenn Cosey
paced the Colonels with a game-high 23.
EKU scored the game’s first 11 points en route to a 15-point
halftime lead, 33-18.That lead swelled to as many as 23 in the second half,
with the Colonels up 56-33 on a Cosey 3-pointer, his sixth of the game, with
8:04 to play.
There was no quit in the Mocs. They scored the next 10
points to get within 13, 56-43, on Zlovaric’s layup. The senior scored six of
the 10 unanswered points, the last coming with a little more than four minutes
remaining.
Tarius Johnson quelled the surge with a jumper at 3:18. It
was a series that told the tale of the night for UTC as Z. Mason blocked
Johnson’s first shot attempt. The ball bounced in and out of his hands before
Johnson got off another short shot off the mark. Jeff Johnson got the board and
fed Tarius Johnson for the layup. It was the only two offensive boards EKU
mustered in the second half.
The margin stayed in the 13-15 point range the remainder of
the contest. Ronrico White’s free throws with 11 seconds to go provided the
final margin of 63-52.
Cosey was phenomenal for the Colonels. His 23 points came on
8-of-15 shooting, 6-of-12 from beyond the arc. He also had a team-high six
rebounds, adding five assists and three steals and playing all 40 minutes.
After getting down 11-0, the Mocs righted the ship for a
time in the first half. They closed within six three times, including 18-12 on
a Mason layup at 8:14. EKU closed the final eight-plus minutes 15-6, led by
Cosey, who scored 17 of his 23 in the opening frame.
After the initial burst from EKU, the second half belonged
to the scrappy Mocs. Zlovaric was a perfect 4-4 from the field recording 10 of
his 12 in the final 20 minutes.
UTC hits the road on Tuesday heading to Baton Rouge, La.,
for an 8 p.m. (EST) matchup with LSU.