Davidson 79, Appalachian State 56
BOONE, N.C. - Davidson shot 51.9 percent from the field, including a blistering 61.5 percent in the first half, and Appalachian State University men's basketball had its five-game home winning streak snapped with a 79-56 loss to the visiting Wildcats on Saturday afternoon at the Holmes Center.
Davidson (13-7, 8-1 SoCon) made 16-of-26 shots in the opening period to jump out to a commanding 45-23 halftime lead and expanded the advantage to as many as 30 points in the second half.
The shooting exhibition was too much for Appalachian State (8-11, 4-4 SoCon) to overcome, despite a career-high-tying 18 points from Tevin Baskin. Nathan Healy also matched career highs with four blocked shots and four steals in the losing effort. Healy also joined Baskin in double-figures with 13 points.
Despite getting only 17 minutes from starting point guard Mike Neal, who is recovering from an ankle injury sustained during Thursday's win over Georgia Southern, Appalachian committed a season-low seven turnovers. However, the Mountaineers shot a season-worst 30.2 percent from the field (16-of-53), including just 21.4 percent (6-of-28) in the opening half.
After falling behind by three early in the first half, the Mountaineers were able to tie the game at 5-5 when Healy nailed a shot from long range to bring the Holmes Center crowd of nearly 3,000 to its feet.
The Wildcats responded with a 15-2 run that gave them a 20-7 lead with 14:25 remaining in the half, and the Mountaineers would get no closer than 11 points the rest of the way as Davidson went to the locker room with a 45-23 edge at the half.
Although the Wildcats would cool off in the second half, shooting just 42.3 percent (11-of-26) from the floor, but App State never really threatened as Davidson led by as many as 30 points (69-39) midway through the second period.
Jake Cohen led four Davidson players in double figures with 17 points while De'Mon Brooks notched a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Tyler Kalinoski scored 15 off the bench for the Wildcats and Chris Czerapowicz added 13 points and ripped down seven boards.
Davidson shot 51.9 percent (27-of-52) from the floor on the afternoon and converted 17-of-21 free throws (81.0 percent) while the Mountaineers connected on 21-of-30 foul shots.
The Wildcats finished with a 41-29 edge in rebounds and limited Appalachian to just five assists while dishing out 17, including a game-high seven from Tom Droney.
Georgia Southern 72, Western Carolina 66
CULLOWHEE, N.C. - Georgia Southern shot 55 percent from the field and put four players in double figures on Saturday afternoon, downing Western Carolina 72-66, in front of 1,983 in the Ramsey Center.
GSU (9-12, 3-5 SoCon) shot over the 50-percent mark in both halves, finishing 28-of-51 from the floor including 8-of-18 from beyond the arc to score the road win.
Redshirt junior Tom Tankelewicz led three Catamounts in double figures with a game-high 20 points, connecting on five 3-pointers - the only long-range shots WCU managed in the losing effort. Brandon Boggs finished with 14 points and a game-high nine rebounds while Tawaski King scored a dozen with seven boards.
WCU's leading scorer Trey Sumler was limited to a season-low seven points, but managed to dish out four assists and swipe two steals, nearly playing the full 40 minutes for an 11th time this season.
For the Eagles, Eric Ferguson shot 8-of-12 from the field in finishing with 18 points while Cameron Baskerville connected on all three of his 3-point shots in scoring 14. Guard Cleon Roberts finished with 13 points, also hitting three treys, while Tre Bussey scored 11 points and C.J. Reed dished out 11 assists for GSU.
Western Carolina (8-13, 5-4 SoCon) erased an early five-point deficit and led by the same margin in the first half, pulling ahead 19-14 on a four-point play by Tankelewicz who found the range and was fouled beyond the 3-point arc. However, the Eagles counter-punched, forcing the game tied five times before intermission with WCU taking just a one-point, 37-36, edge into the halftime locker room.
The Eagles scored the first seven points of the second half, taking a six-point advantage, 43-37, just moments after the break. Using two buckets by Sumler and a pair from Tankelewicz, the Catamounts then strung together a 10-point spurt, surging back in front by four, 47-43.
Following the game's seventh tie, Marvin Baynham hit 1-of-2 free throws at the 9:20 mark in the second half to give GSU a lead it would never relinquish as the Eagles claimed their second-straight victory over the Catamounts in the Ramsey Center.
WCU finished 25-of-54 (46.3%) from the field, but made just 5-of-17 from beyond the arc - including just 1-for-7 after halftime. The Catamounts also shot just 55-percent from the free throw line, its poorest showing from the charity stripe since the loss to Austin Peay in Cancun, Mexico.
Western Carolina embarks on another long road swing beginning next Saturday, Feb. 2, at archrival Appalachian State. The Catamounts will play three-straight road games including visiting ASU in Boone, Davidson and Georgia Southern. All told, WCU plays five of its next six games away from Cullowhee.
Elon 70, The Citadel 66
CHARLESTON, S.C. - The Elon University men's basketball team captured its fifth straight win on Saturday, Jan. 26, after topping The Citadel Bulldogs, 70-66, inside McAlister Field House.
Elon (13-7, 6-2 Southern Conference) registered 32 three-point attempts in the victory over The Citadel (4-15, 1-8 Southern Conference), connecting on 12. In its last two games, the Phoenix has hit 25 shots from beyond the arc.
Elon's three-point attack was led by Tanner Samson, as the rookie knocked down 5-of-12 from long distance to finish with a season-high 15 points. Samson also had four steals in the win, tying his season-best mark.
Two nights after scoring his 1,000th-career point, Jack Isenbarger finished the day with 22 points on 8-of-16 shooting from the field. Isenbarger knocked down 4-of-11 from beyond the arc, bringing his career three-pointers-made total to 191. He needs eight more triples to tie Chris Chalko for third all-time in school history. Isenbarger also dished out eight assists, tying his career high.
Lucas Troutman scored in double figures for the 19th straight game, as the junior from Belton, S.C., finished with 14 points on 7-of-11 shooting. Troutman heads into Elon's next game with 976 career points.
Sebastian Koch added nine points 3-of-7 shooting from long-distance to go along with six boards.
Back-to-back triples from the wing by Samson forced the Bulldogs to call a timeout with 4:27 on the clock in the first period, as the Phoenix jumped out a 29-22 advantage. Samson scored 12 points in the first half, helping Elon lead by as many as 10 points.
The Citadel's Marshall Harris III struck gold as the halftime buzzer rang through the arena, hitting a desperation heave from half court to limit Elon to a 38-33 lead at intermission.
The Bulldogs' zone defense led to a barrage of three-pointers for the Phoenix in the opening frame, as Elon went 7-of-18 from beyond the arc in the first 20 minutes. Elon shot 47 percent from the field in the opening frame, but the Bulldogs matched it with a 50-percent clip on 12-of-24 shooting from the field.
The Bulldogs nearly tied the game with 14:12 left in the second half on a fast-break by Harris III, but the sophomore missed the contested layup and on the ensuing possession, Samson connected on his fifth triple of the game to give Elon a 47-42 edge.
Isenbarger helped Elon take an eight-point lead and force a Bulldogs timeout with less than 10 minutes remaining in the second session after driving through the lane and tossing up a layup off the glass as he fell to the ground, giving the Phoenix a 56-48 edge.
The Citadel managed to pull within four points with about five minutes remaining in the game and equaled that amount in the final seconds on a three-pointer in the corner by Horgan as the clock ran out.
Van Scyoc and Mike Groselle both dumped in a team-high 20 points for the Bulldogs.
College of Charleston 79, Wofford 50
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - The Wofford men's basketball team was defeated 79-50 by the College of Charleston on Saturday night at Benjamin Johnson Arena. The Cougars had a 12-0 run early in the first half and built a 21 point lead at the break that the Terriers could not overcome.
Wofford moves to 8-13 on the season and 2-6 in the Southern Conference. College of Charleston is 14-7 overall and 6-3 in the SoCon. The Terriers were led by Jarell Byrd with a career-high 15 points. The Cougars had 17 points and eight rebounds from Trent Wiedeman.
The Terriers scored first, but the Cougars had an early 5-2 lead. Karl Cochran hit a jumper to cut the score to 5-4, however the College of Charleston scored the next four points for a 9-4 lead after four minutes of play. The Cougars pushed the run to 10-0 and had a 15-4 lead with 11:08 remaining in the first half.
Wofford ended the 12-0 run with a three pointer by C.J. Neumann with 8:42 on the clock. It ended a nine minute scoreless stretch for the Terriers. The Cougars answered with a three and had a 20-7 advantage with 7:58 on the clock. With under four minutes left in the half, the Cougars had built a 30-10 lead. Indiana Faithfull hit a three pointer at the 2:23 mark, but the College of Charleston had a 34-13 lead at the break.
The Cougars opened the second half with five straight points before Aerris Smith hit a lay-up to make it 39-15. College of Charleston had a 43-15 lead before the Terriers scored five straight points on a bucket and free throw by Jarell Byrd and a jumper by Karl Cochran to cut the score to 43-20 at the 16:45 mark. The Cougars pushed the lead to 51-23 before a three pointer by Spencer Collins made it a 51-26 game with 12:35 on the clock.
With 10:52 left in the second half, the College of Charleston lead was 56-29. Jarell Byrd had back-to-back buckets to make it a 62-34 score with seven minutes remaining in the game. After a three pointer by Spencer Collins, the score was 74-42 in favor of the Cougars with 3:50 on the clock. Justin Gordon added a three for Wofford and C.J. Neumann scored the final bucket of the game in the 79-50 loss.
Wofford shot 33 percent from the floor while College of Charleston shot 59 percent overall. The Terriers were 5-of-16 from with three, while the Cougars were 11-of-21 from behind the arc. College of Charleston was 10-of-17 from the line while Wofford was 9-of-14 on free throws. The Cougars had a 33 to 27 lead on the glass.