Furman 69, Wofford 65
GREENVILLE, S.C. - The Wofford men's basketball team was defeated 69-65 by Furman on Monday night at Timmons Arena. The Paladins took a 15 point lead at the half on the strength of seven three pointers, but the Terriers were able to battle back to make it a one point game with two minutes remaining before Furman scored six of the final eight points of the game.
Wofford moves to 7-10 on the season and 1-3 in the Southern Conference. Furman is 4-11 overall and 1-3 in the SoCon. The Terriers were led by Spencer Collins with 18 points and Karl Cochran with 17 points. Lee Skinner added 13 points and had eight rebounds. The Paladins had 17 points from Kendrec Ferrara and seven different players hit three pointers.
The Paladins hit their first four three point attempts in the game and took a 12-4 lead after three minutes of play. Furman added two more three pointers and had a 22-10 advantage at the 10:39 mark of the first half. After back-to-back buckets by Spencer Collins and Lee Skinner cut the lead to 27-18, a three pointer by Indiana Faithfull made it a 29-21 game with 4:31 on the clock. Larry Wideman banked in a three pointer for Furman to end the half as the Paladins had a 40-25 lead.
To open the second half, Spencer Collins hit a three and Karl Cochran had a lay-up off a steal to cut the lead to 40-30 after two minutes. Furman then scored the next four points until Lee Skinner had a dunk off a turnover to make it 44-32 at the 16:26 mark. Spencer Collins hit a jumper and a free throw, which was followed by a lay-up by Karl Cochran off a steal to cut the lead to 46-37 with 13:31 on the clock.
Wofford cut the lead to seven points after a bucket by Jarell Byrd, but Furman had a 52-44 lead with 9:49 left in the second half. Karl Cochran added a three pointer to make it a 52-47 game, but Furman pushed the advantage back to eight points. Two free throws by Justin Gordon and one by Lee Skinner narrowed the score to 59-54 with 5:08 on the clock. Karl Cochran hit a three to make it a 61-59 game with just under four minutes left.
Furman hit a three with 2:45 on the clock to make it a five point lead. Spencer Collins hit two free throws and Spencer Collins put back a missed three to cut the score to 64-63 at the two minute mark. A shot clock violation gave the ball back to the Terriers but Furman forced a turnover. A free throw by the Paladins gave them a two point lead and a three in the corner by Bobby Austin as the shot clock expired made it a 68-63 game with 14 seconds left. Spencer Collins hit a lay-up for the Terriers, but one more free throw by Furman provided the 69-65 margin.
Wofford shot 43 percent from the floor while Furman shot 58 percent overall, the second highest by an opponent this season. The Terriers were 5-of-22 from with three, while the Paladins were 10-of-18 from behind the arc. Furman was 9-of-13 from the line while Wofford was 8-of-10 on free throws. Wofford had a 32 to 25 lead on the glass.
Elon 80, Western Carolina 67
CULLOWHEE, N.C. - A second-half surge by the Elon University men's basketball team paved the way for a key 80-67 victory over league unbeaten Western Carolina on Monday night, Jan. 14, inside the Ramsey Center in Cullowhee.
After trailing by four points at the half, Elon (9-7-, 2-2 Southern Conference) went on a 21-7 run in the second session to go ahead by as many as 14 points late in the game. The Phoenix shot a blistering 57 percent from the field in the final 20 minutes, handing Western Carolina (7-10, 4-1 Southern Conference) its first league loss of the year.
Four Phoenix players scored in double figures, as Lucas Troutman led the way with his second double-double of the season with 20 points and 10 boards. Troutman knocked down 7-of-12 from the field and hit all six of his free throw attempts. As a team, Elon shot 86 percent at the charity stripe.
Jack Isenbarger ended the night with 16 points, all of which came in the second period. Isenbarger played only seven minutes in the first half due to early foul trouble.
Sebastian Koch hit 5-of-10 from the field, including 4-of-7 from beyond the arc, to finish with 15 points and five assists.
Ryley Beaumont followed up a career day at Appalachian State on Saturday with 12 points for the Phoenix. Beaumont scored 26 against the Mountaineers, a career best.
WCU's Trey Sumler ended the night with 32 points on 9-of-19 shooting from the field and 9-of-12 shooting from the charity stripe.
Josh Bonney helped push the Phoenix out to its first lead of the game with about 12 minutes remaining after hitting a three-pointer from the wing to give Elon a 13-10 lead. Minutes later, the senior slashed through the lane and found Tanner Samson underneath the basket for the layup, giving the maroon and gold a 17-12 edge. Bonney finished the night with four points in nine minutes off the bench, while Samson recorded two points and four assists.
With the halftime buzzer nearing, Sumler stole Elon's inbound pass with about a second remaining and drew a foul on Beaumont to earn a trip to the charity stripe. Sumler connected on both shots with 0.9 seconds remaining to give WCU a four-point cushion, 31-27, heading into the locker room.
The Phoenix led by as many as seven in the first half, but saw its lead dwindle as the clock winded down to zero as the Catamounts closed the final 9:39 of the half on a 19-6 run.
Elon shot 33 percent from the field in the opening frame, while limiting the Catamounts to a 39-percent clip. The Phoenix won the turnover battle in the first half, 6-5, but Western Carolina dominated on the glass, 24-17, scoring six second-chance points. The two teams ended the night tied on the glass, 37-all.
Isenbarger gave the Phoenix a 47-45 advantage with 11:51 remaining in the second half after sinking three free-throw attempts to give Elon momentum. Minutes later, a Koch three pointer from the corner with 9:23 remaining put the Phoenix ahead by six, 54-48.
Elon opened up a 14-point lead with about seven minutes remaining when Isenbarger drilled his third triple of the half to give the Phoenix a 62-48 lead.
Western Carolina pulled no closer than nine points down the stretch, as the Phoenix held on for the key conference road win.
Georgia Southern 70, Davidson 57
STATESBORO, Ga. - Georgia Southern shot 53.1 percent and ended an 11-game losing streak to Davidson with a 70-57 victory over the Wildcats in Southern Conference men's basketball action Monday evening at Hanner Fieldhouse.
Chris Czerapowicz led Davidson (9-7, 4-1 SoCon) with 13 points and added six rebounds, hitting 3-of-7 3-point attempts. He was joined in double-figures by Tyler Kalinoski with 11 points and Jake Cohen with 10.
Georgia Southern's defense held the Wildcats 36.4 percent shooting from the field, limiting the 'Cats to 9-of-30 shooting (30.0 percent) in the second half.
C.J. Reed led Georgia Southern (7-10, 1-3 SoCon) with 16 points, going 7-for-15 from the field and 2-for-4 from beyond the arc. Eric Ferguson scored 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting, connecting on both 3-point attempts. Marvin Baynham added 12 points, connecting on 4-of-5 attempts from the field. Cleon Roberts led the Eagles with five rebounds and also scored six points.
Georgia Southern could not have gotten off to a better start as the Eagles opened 10-of-13 from the floor, including 3-of-3 from long range to take a 25-13 lead. Davidson closed the first half on a small spurt highlighted by 3-pointers from Kalinoski and Clint Mann to cut the deficit to 35-31 at the break.
After Davidson made it a one-possession contest on several occasions early in the second half, Georgia Southern responded with a 19-9 run to push its lead back to double digits, 59-46, with just under five minutes to play.
In addition to the Eagles holding a 34-30 advantage on the glass, both teams combined for just 10 turnovers.
Appalachian State 83, UNCG 70
BOONE, N.C. - The UNCG men's basketball team saw its seven-point halftime lead overcome in the second half as the Spartans dropped an 83-70 Southern Conference contest to hosting Appalachian State Monday night at the Holmes Center. Appalachian State opened the second half on an 18-2 run and out-scored the Spartans 51-31 in the second half.
UNCG connected on just 38.5 percent (10-of-26) from the field in the second half, including missing its first seven shots of the frame. Conversely, the Mountaineers connected on 62.5 percent (15-of-24) from the field and 80 percent (20-of-25) from the free throw line in the second half to quickly erase the Spartans' seven-point lead.
Junior Trevis Simpson returned from a concussion and scored 22 points off the bench on 9-19 shooting from the field. Senior guard Derrell Armstrong continued his strong play as he added 20 points and seven rebounds in the loss. Appalachian State was led by Nathan Healy who scored 24 points and grabbed nine rebounds while Mike Neal added 19 points as he was 9-of-11 from the charity stripe.
UNCG started quickly as Armstrong scored five early points to give the Spartans a 7-2 lead. UNCG kept its early offense going as it posted an 11-2 run to take a 13-5 lead as Armstrong hit two three-pointers and sophomore Nicholas Paulos added a long-range shot to make it three in a row for the Spartans.
Appalachian State started to cut into the UNCG lead as Nathan Healy nine of 11 points in a stretch for the Mountaineers as they pulled within two at 21-19. The Spartans responded back with an 11-4 run to take a 32-23 lead as they continued to hit from the outside. Simpson started the spurt with a three-pointer before Paulos and Armstrong added distance shots to extend the lead to nine points.
Appalachian State narrowed the gap to five points in the final 10 seconds but fifth-year senior Kelvin McNeil scored a second-chance point at the buzzer to send UNCG into the locker room with a 39-32 lead. The Spartans connected on 46.4 percent (13-of-28) from the field in the first half and hit 6-of-12 from long range.
Armstrong continued his strong play of late as he scored 13 first half points on 5-of-9 shooting, including three three-pointers. Freshman forward Kayel Locke added six points while Simpson and Paulos each chipped in five points to pace the attack. Appalachian State connected on just 30.3 percent (10-of-33) from the field and 33.3 percent (4-of-12) from long range in the first half. Healy led the way for ASU with 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting while Jay Canty chipped in seven points.
Appalachian State opened the second half scoring the first 13 points of the half on its way to an 18-2 run to turn a seven-point deficit into a nine-point lead in less than eight minutes of play. Neal was the spark for the Mountaineers scoring six points while Tab Hamilton hit a three-pointer to give ASU its first lead of the second half. Appalachian State took the lead into double figures and never relented down the stretch.
The Mountaineers continued to dominate play in the second half as they out-scored the Spartans by 20 points, 51-31. Appalachian State shot 43.9 percent (25-of-57) from the field on the game and 33.3 percent (5-of-15) from distance. UNCG connected on just 42.6 percent (23-of-54) from the field, 31.6 percent (6-of-19) from long range and 69.2 percent (18-of-26) from the charity stripe.
College of Charleston 73, The Citadel 69
CHARLESTON, S.C. - Andrew Lawrence scored a game-high 21 points, including the go-ahead jumper with 28 seconds left on the clock, as crosstown rival College of Charleston completed its 73-69 victory over The Citadel at McAlister Field House.
Lawrence, who finished 5-of-14 from the field, including a trio of 3-pointers, hit a spinning one-hander in the lane to provide the Cougars with a 71-69 lead with 28 seconds remaining. The Citadel was unable to answer on the ensuing possession and following a pair of Lawrence free throws at the 12 second mark, CofC won its fifth straight contest in the all-time series.
Also topping double-digit points for College of Charleston (12-5, 4-1 SoCon) was the combination of Adjehi Baru (16 points), Anthony Stitt (14) and Anthony Thomas (10). Baru completed his third consecutive double-double with a 12-rebound effort that included five on the offensive glass.
The Cougars finished 25-of-61 from the floor, draining nine shots from beyond the arc, but the key down the stretch proved to be CofC's 14-of-18 performance from the free throw line. College of Charleston also finished with a six point edge (12-6) on second chance points.
Mike Groselle took home high honors for The Citadel with 19 points on 9-of-12 shooting. The senior center also snagged nine rebounds (three offensive) and finished with three blocks. Matt Van Scyoc capped off a 17-point performance by knocking down 6-of-9 field goals, including two from long range, while adding a season-high three blocks.
Ashton Moore led the way for all Citadel reserves with 10 points, hitting a critical 3-pointer with 45 seconds remaining to knot the game at 69-69. The Bulldogs converted 28-of-53 from the field and topped the 50 percent mark for the first time in four games. Moore, Van Scyoc and teammate Marshall Harris III finished with two 3-pointers apiece as The Citadel hit 43 percent from beyond the arc. Harris dished out a game-high seven assists as the Cadets have now posted at least 18 assists in their last three contests.
The Bulldogs (3-12, 0-5 SoCon) three point lead at the intermission quickly evaporated, following a trey by Thomas who knotted the game at 34-34 just 15 seconds into the frame.
At the 16:43 mark Moore provided The Citadel a slim lead when he found Groselle in the post for a layup and a 41-38 advantage.
With the lead fluctuating between one and three points, following scores by Horgan and Van Scyoc, Baru brought the game to its fifth tie, 45-45, following an old-fashioned three point play.
Behind the scoring tandem of Van Scyoc and Groselle the Bulldogs outscored CofC 12-5 over the next four minutes to assume a 57-50 advantage.
The Cougars responded with an 8-0 run, highlighted by two Stitt 3-pointers, to take their second lead of the half, 58-57, with just over eight minutes remaining.
College of Charleston continued to find its offensive rhythm by outscoring the Cadets 8-3 over a span of 4:02 to assume a 66-60 lead following a Thomas free throw.
Groselle singlehandedly kept The Citadel in the contest with the next six straight points as the Bulldogs trailed 69-66 with 1:35 remaining.
After a defensive stop, Moore drained his second 3-pointer of the half to send the game its seventh tie, 66-66, only to see Lawrence answer with the next four straight points and complete CofC's 73-69 win.
Van Scyoc gave a solid effort on both ends of the court in the opening frame, scoring five points to go along with three blocked shots, two rebounds and a pair of assists. However, it was freshman counterpart Janiel Jenkins that stole the show by scoring eight points, all in reserve, on 3-of-3 shooting from the floor. He also knocked down a pair of free throws to lead the way for a Citadel unit that finished 14-of-24 from the floor and 3-of-4 from the charity stripe.
The Bulldog front court tandem of Groselle (six points, six rebounds) and Horgan (six points, three rebounds) helped provide a slim 14-12 edge in points in the paint and 16 Citadel rebounds.
College of Charleston was anchored by Lawrence's 12-point effort, as the senior connected on 3-of-7 field goals and converted all four trips to the free throw line. He was joined offensively by Baru, whose 4-of-6 shooting led to nine points. Baru also climbed the glass for seven rebounds, including three on the offensive end.
The Citadel's defense held College of Charleston to 10-of-29 shooting from the field, allowing just three treys. However, College of Charleston finished with a slight edge in second chance points, netting four.
The Cougars opened the game on an 11-3 run over the first 4:09, keyed by five Lawrence points.
Harris followed with a 3-pointer and helped the Bulldogs gain momentum as The Citadel scored 10 of the next 17 points to make for an 18-16 affair.
Trailing by five, 21-16, Horgan made his presence felt offensively for the Dogs when he connected on a series of jumpers, drawing the margin to within one.
Continuing to apply pressure defensively, a missed CofC jumper and subsequent 3-pointer by Harris provided The Citadel with its first lead of the game, 23-21, with 7:28 remaining.
That lead remained intact as jumpers in the paint by Horgan and Groselle combined with a 3-pointer by Van Scyoc made for a 30-25 lead with just under three minutes left.
It was there that Jenkins did the work for The Citadel offense as he hit a series of acrobatic layups to provide a 34-31 lead at the half.