College of Charleston 60, Furman 56
CHARLESTON, S.C. - Senior point guard Andrew Lawrence hit a three-pointer with 26 seconds remaining in regulation as College of Charleston narrowly got past Furman, 60-56, in league action held on Saturday night at TD Arena.
The Cougars (10-4, 2-0 SoCon) extended their winning streak to five games, while the Paladins (3-10, 0-2 SoCon) remained winless in conference play and lost their fifth straight on the road.
CofC led for most of the contest with suffocating defense, until Furman went on a 12-3 run to capture its first lead of the game at the 8:57 minute mark of the second half. The Paladins maintained that lead until the final minute when Lawrence tied the game on a free throw, grabbed a defensive rebounds and then hit a three-pointer on the next possession to put the Cougars ahead for good, 57-54.
Charleston shot 34.6 percent from the field (18-of-52), but hit six three-pointers to Furman's one trey which proved to be the difference.
The Cougars' backcourt of sophomore guard Anthony Stitt and Lawrence scored 14 and 13 points, respectively. Lawrence finished with three steals and three assists, but turned the ball over four times.
Redshirt junior forward Willis Hall scored six points, including a big three-pointer late in the game, while grabbing a game-high 11 rebounds with four on the offensive glass.
Junior Anthony Thomas reached double figures with 10 points and four boards, while sophomore big man Adjehi Baru had seven points and seven rebounds.
Furman's Colin Reddick led the way for the Paladins with a career-high 25 points on 10-of-18 shooting. He also had a team-high nine rebounds and two steals. Stephen Croone pitched in 11 points and seven boards, while Larry Wideman scored eight points.
The Cougars jumped all over Furman in the beginning of the first half, building a 19-6 lead with 9:45 remaining. The CofC defense held Furman to just 3-of-15 shooting to start, while the Cougars were able to score in transition.
However, the Paladins slowly began to find their rhythm and chipped away at the Cougars' lead. Two layups by Croone and four CofC turnovers in the final two minutes kept Furman within five points at the half, 27-22.
Both teams struggled to score from the field in the first 10 minutes of the second half, as Furman countered three-pointers from junior Nori Johnson and Lawrence with free throws from Reddick.
Reddick's layup at the 8:57 minute mark gave Furman its first lead of the game at 41-40, and another Reddick layup put the Paladins up 43-40 with 7:55 left on the clock.
Furman used 11 points from Reddick over the next five minutes to stave off the CofC comeback and keep the Paladins ahead. However, Hall's three-pointer with 2:22 remaining made it a one-possession game.
Lawrence's three with 26 seconds remaining proved to be the game-winner and his block on a Kendrec Ferrara three-point attempt with 10 seconds left iced the win for the Cougars.
Davidson 85, UNCG 53
DAVIDSON, N.C. - The UNCG men's basketball team suffered its first Southern Conference loss of the season Saturday as the Spartans dropped an 85-53 decision to preseason favorite and reigning league champion Davidson at Belk Arena. The loss drops the Spartans to 1-1 in SoCon play while the Wildcats improve to 3-0 in the league.
UNCG connected on just 33.3 percent (18-of-54) from the field in the loss while Davidson hit 42.9 percent (27-of-63) from the field and connected on 85.2 percent (23-of-27) from the free throw line. The Spartans were also out-rebounded by a 54-24 margin as the Wildcats grabbed 21 offensive rebounds which led to 28 second-chance points.
Senior guard Derrell Armstrong was the only Spartan to score in double figures as he finished with 17 points, 13 of which came in the second half. Davidson had five players scored in double figures with Jake Cohen leading the way with a game-high 20 points while grabbing eight rebounds.
Davidson came out quickly, scoring the first eight points of the game on its way to an early 12-2 lead over the Spartans. UNCG started cold shooting from the field as it missed its first seven shots from the field and did not make a field goal until the 15:03 mark of the half when junior David Williams scored in the paint to make it 12-4.
The Spartans narrowed the gap to 18-11 as Williams scored six straight points, including his second three-pointer of the year. Davidson answered back with a 9-2 run to extend the lead to 27-13 as Cohen hit a three-pointer before the Wildcats started heading to the line frequently.
Davidson went into the locker room holding a 45-27 lead as the Wildcats took advantage of the Spartans falling into foul trouble with four players picking up two first half fouls, including a pair of post players with three first half infractions. The Wildcats went to the free throw line 17 times in the opening half, connecting on 82.3 percent from the charity stripe. Davidson connected on 46.4 percent (13-of-28) from the field in the first half with Cohen leading the way with 15 points.
UNCG was held to 30.8 percent (8-of-26) shooting from the field but did hit 4-of-7 three-pointers. Williams led the Spartans with eight points while junior Trevis Simpson was limited to five first half points. The Spartans were also out-rebounded by a 26-10 margin in the opening frame.
Davidson came out of the halftime break and extended its lead with a 21-7 run, including 11 straight points to cap the stretch to go in front 66-34. Cohen started the 11 straight points with an old-fashioned three-point play before Tyler Kalinoski and Nik Cochran hit back-to-back three-pointers to put the run into overdrive.
Williams finished with eight points in the loss to tie his season-high while Simpson was held to just seven points. It marked the first time this season that he has not reached double figures and the first time since also scoring seven points against Middle Tennessee last year (11/19/11).
The Wildcats would attempt 30 three-pointers in the victory, connected on eight but finished with a 27-16 edge in free throw attempts. De'Mon Brooks scored 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds while Cochran added 12 points and four assists.
Western Carolina 72, The Citadel 55
CHARLESTON, S.C. - Western Carolina's Trey Sumler notched a game-high 17 points and lead four players in double figures as the Catamounts grabbed their third Southern Conference win of the season, 72-55, over The Citadel at McAlister Field House on Saturday evening.
The Citadel was charged offensively by the sophomore scoring duo of P.J. Hogan and Marshall Harris III who scored 10 points apiece. Horgan, who missed the first 11 games of the year with the intent to redshirt, came off the bench to hit 4-of-5 from the field and grab a game-high eight rebounds. Harris hit two shots on the game, both from beyond the arc, and was a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line.
Sumler was one of three Catamount starters in double figures, hitting 6-of-15 from the field, joined by Tom Tankelewicz (14 points) and Brandon Boggs (10 points). Teammate Preston Ross also eclipsed double-digits, scoring 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field.
Western Carolina (4-9, 3-0 SoCon) finished 27-of-57 from the floor and behind a 4-of-9 outing by Tankelewicz the Catamounts knocked down 6-of-15 from beyond the arc. Sumler converted all four free throw attempts to capped off a WCU unit that closed the game 12-of-16 from the charity stripe. Western Carolina held a 35-24 edge on the boards, crashing the glass for 18 offensive rebounds to edge the Dogs 17-6 in second chance points.
The Bulldogs managed to hit 21-of-48 from the floor, marking the first time that they have hit 20 or more shots in consecutive games since victories over Montreat and Union. The Citadel found their stride from the 3-point line, knocking down 6-of-19, while finishing 7-of-8 from the free throw line.
Trailing at the half Ashton Moore opened Citadel scoring with a 3-pointer in the opening minute to trim the margin to 36-28. Just under a minute later Moore found Groselle for a layup to keep the margin at single digits, 39-30, before four points by Brandon Boggs in a span of 1:29 to move Western Carolina in front 44-33.
Matt Van Scyoc drained his only 3-pointer of the game at the 14:12 mark and following a jumper from the left elbow by Quinton Marshall the Bulldogs were within five of Western Carolina.
The Catamounts pieced together a 5-2 run over the next 3:36 of the game, pushing the lead to 49-40, before Harris banked home his second 3-pointer as the shot clock expired to move the Dogs back within six.
A pair of long range 3-pointers by Tankelewicz combined with four points off the hand of Sumler provided Western Carolina with a double-digit advantage, 59-47, which they would not relinquish.
Complementing Sumler's four points over the final 4:17 of the contest was the Catamounts perfect 4-of-4 performance from the free throw line. Meanwhile, Horgan notched six points and Van Scyoc added a fastbreak layup to account for The Citadel offense.
Western Carolina took a 36-25 lead into the intermission behind eight points from Ross, who hit all four field goal attempts in the opening frame. Joining Ross in scoring was the combination of Sumler (7 points) and King (6 points). King crashed the boards for three rebounds, leading a WCU unit that finished with 14. The Catamounts finished 11-of-23 from the field and a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line.
The Citadel answered with six points by Robinson and five from Harris, who was drained his first 3-pointer in three games. Elmore grabbed a team-high five rebounds for the Bulldogs, who deadlocked Western Carolina with 14 rebounds apiece. The Dogs knocked down 10-of-26 field goals and were 3-of-11 from beyond the arc.
Western Carolina gained an early 8-4 advantage following a jumper by Ross only to see The Citadel trim the margin to one on a Raemond Robinson 3-pointer at the 13:16 mark. Robinson netted his first collegiate points when teammate Mike Groselle kicked the pass out to Robinson on the left wing for the open trey.
Following a Boggs turnover The Citadel took the second lead of the game, 9-8, on a pair of free throws by Harris. Western Carolina answered with a 10-3 run over the next 3:19 of the game, highlighted by 3-pointers from Sumler and Tankelewicz.
Points in the paint by Stephen Elmore and Groselle kept The Citadel within striking distance, 20-15, before Western Carolina countered with a 10-3 run to stretch the lead to 30-18. In that run Sumler came through with four points for the Catamounts, while King and Boggs added close range buckets.
The Citadel closed the half by scoring five of 11 points, including Robinson's second 3-pointer, to trail 36-25 heading into the intermission.
Chattanooga 74, Samford 70
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Samford's Raijon Kelly scored a career-high 27 points and went 6-of-8 from 3-point range Saturday, but his last-second, potential game-winning 3-pointer rimmed out with 4.1 seconds remaining as the Chattanooga Mocs held on for a 74-70 Southern Conference victory at the Pete Hanna Center.
With 7.2 seconds left in the game, Samford (3-12, 1-1 SoCon) trailed Chattanooga (6-9, 1-1 SoCon), 72-70, but had possession of the ball on an inbounds play from the baseline. On the play, the Bulldogs' Kelly sped from the left corner, snaked his way around a pair of picks to the right flank and gathered the pass.
Kelly, who had already scored a career-high 27 points, fired the 3-point attempt with 4.1 seconds remaining, but the shot hit the inside right of the rim, rolled around and bounded out towards the left baseline where the Mocs' Ronrico White grabbed the board.
White was fouled by Samford's Clide Geffrard, Jr., and made both free throws with 0.5 seconds remaining to hand on for the 74-70 win.
Kelly's personal-best 27-point performance topped his previous career-high of 21 that he also scored against Chattanooga on Feb. 25, 2012. The Bulldogs' 6-foot-4 sharpshooting guard from St. Paul, Minn., finished 9-of-15 from the field and 6-of-8 from the 3-point line. Kelly scored 17 of his game-high 27 points in the first half of play.
Including Saturday's sizzling performance, Samford's Kelly is shooting a stellar 65.2 percent (15-of-23) from 3-point range in his last four games, dating back to the Sam Houston State contest on Dec. 15.
Chattanooga jumped ahead of Samford early in the game and led the Bulldogs, 22-6, just 5:35 into the contest. The Mocs' Gee Mchee drained a trio of 3-pointers in the field half and scored 13 first-half points to lead Chattanooga. Mchee finished the game with 17 points, five assists and a pair of steals.
Midway through the first period, Samford's Kelly caught fire and scored 11 straight points for the Bulldogs. With 11:57 to play in the half, he connected on a deep jumper to trim the Mocs' lead to 26-13. Kelly then buried three straight 3-point baskets to cut Chattanooga's advantage to 26-22 with 10:33 remaining until halftime.
From that point on, Samford regained its confidence and went into the locker room at halftime just trailing by one point, 39-38.
The Bulldogs never led in the second half, but tied the game five times in the final period, including at 51-51 following a Connor Miller 3-pointer from the left corner with 13:29 remaining. Miller finished Saturday's game with six points and three assists, but turned the ball over a team-high five times.
Throughout the second half, Samford and Chattanooga continued to battle back and forth until the Mocs' Farad Cobb connected on a jumper, Drazen Zlovaric scored in the lane and then McGhee assisted on a Cobb layup to take a 69-61 lead at the 4:48 mark.
At that point, Kelly immediately answered with a hanging jumper from the left baseline and drained a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession to make the score 69-66 with 3:42 left to play.
Chattanooga's Cobb made a free throw down the stretch and Z. Mason connected on a difficult fade-away jumper from the right baseline to extend the Mocs' late lead to 72-68 at the 2:37 mark.
Samford's Kelly quickly responded with a jumper to make the score 72-70 at the two-minute mark.
Both teams traded misses until the Bulldogs held possession with 25 seconds remaining. On the play, Geffrard, Jr., worked open at the right flank and attempted a deep 3-point basket that would have given Samford the lead. The ball bounced off the front rim and Chattanooga's Cobb grabbed the rebound, but stepped out of bounds to set up Samford's final play of the game.
Along with Kelly's 27 points, Samford's Williams added 18 points and six rebounds on 7-of-8 shooting from the field, while Geffrard, Jr., and Russell Wilson chipped in with six points apiece. The Bulldogs' finished the game shooting 50 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from 3-point range.
Chattanooga's Mason and McGhee both concluded Saturday's contest with 17 points each. Mason shot 7-of-9 from the floor, while McGhee went 6-of-8 from the free-throw line. Cobb proved to be the third Moc in double figures with 16 points. Chattanooga shot 57.8 percent from the field and a season-high 52.9 percent from 3-point range.
The Mocs entered Saturday's game shooting a SoCon-worst 26.5 percent from beyond the arc.
Princeton 74, Elon 64
ELON, N.C. - A late rally from the Elon University men's basketball team fell just short on Saturday, Jan. 5, inside Alumni Gym, as the Phoenix dropped a 74-64 decision to Princeton in its final non-conference game of the regular season.
Elon (8-6) trailed Princeton (6-7) by as many as 16 points midway through the second period, but battled back to make it a six-point contest late. Jack Isenbarger hit a three-pointer from the top of the key with 1:37 remaining to make it a 65-59 game.
But the Tigers kept the Phoenix at arm's length from that point forward, going up by as many as 12 with less than 30 seconds to play to escape Alumni Gym with the victory.
"Give Princeton credit for playing with an edge today and being the more aggressive team for 40 minutes," said Elon head coach Matt Matheny. "But I love the way we hung in there and fought the entire game. You can't dig that big of a hole against a good team like that and expect to be successful. I think [Princeton] beat a good team today and I like where we're headed moving forward into conference play."
Princeton's Ian Hummer scored a game-high 28 points in the setback, while Will Barrett finished the day with 17 for the Tigers.
Isenbarger ended the day with 16 points on 5-of-13 shooting from the field, while Lucas Troutman scored in double figures for the 13th consecutive game with 14 points. Ryley Beaumont just missed his second straight double-double, finishing with nine points and eight boards.
The Phoenix shot 47 percent from the field, but the battle on the boards proved to be the difference maker. Princeton ended the day with a 36-25 edge on the glass, including 15 offensive rebounds that led to 14 second-chance points.
The Tigers took a 10-point advantage with 11:43 remaining in the first half after a Barrett three-pointer put the Phoenix behind, 23-13. As a whole, Princeton knocked down 8-of-14 from beyond the arc, including Barrett's game-high five.
Princeton went ahead by as many as 16 points in the opening frame, but Elon limited the deficit to nine, 41-32, at intermission.
A barrage of three pointers helped the Tigers jump out to a lead at the half, as Princeton went 6-of-8 from three-point land in the first 20 minutes. Elon hit 4-of-9 shots from beyond the arc in the opening frame, shooting at a 50-percent clip from the field as a whole on 13-of-26 attempts.
The Tigers claimed a 16-point lead with less than nine minutes remaining after a Hummer left-handed slam made it a 57-41 game.
Tanner Samson pulled Elon within nine points with 7:06 remaining after connecting from long-distance to make it a 57-48 game.
Isenbarger's three with 1:37 to play limited the deficit to six, but that was as close as the Phoenix would come. Princeton managed to keep the maroon and gold at arm's length down the stretch to secure the win, taking a 12-point lead with 16 seconds remaining.
North Carolina A&T 71, Georgia Southern 65
STATESBORO, Ga. - Georgia Southern Men's Basketball closed non-conference play with a 71-65 loss to North Carolina A&T at Hanner Fieldhouse on Saturday night. The Eagles open league play in one week at Wofford on Saturday night, January 12th.
"I really felt like we were turning the corner with our effort and consistency, but consistency has been the word that has haunted us the entire non-conference season," said Head Coach Charlton "C.Y." Young. "We've got to do a better job of playing better early in games, we gave them a lead early tonight. The thing we learned tonight is that we need to do a better job at managing close games late."
Junior Eric Ferguson, the SoCon Player of the Month in December, paced the Eagles with his fifth double-double of the season. He scored 22 points and 13 rebounds as he became the first SoCon player to post five double-doubles this season.
Tre Bussey and C.J. Reed each posted matching 12 points outings. Reed made a pair of baskets from downtown and went 6-for-6 from the free throw stripe against A&T. Bussey reached double figures with four field goals, one from downtown and a trio of free throws. Reed added five assists to lead the Eagles.
North Carolina A&T had three players in double figures with both Adrian Powell and Jean Louisme scoring 23 points each. Jeremy Underwood added 12 off the bench as the Aggies scored 24 points in the paint and 18 off offensive rebounds. A&T out-rebounded the Eagles 38-34 and had 16 offensive rebounds to the Eagles' 13.
Cleon Roberts broke a streak of three-straight games without a point with nine points in the contest. He made his first three attempts from beyond the arc as the freshman regained the hot-hand.
With 13:27 remaining in the first half, Ferguson picked up his 500th career rebound with a board on the offensive side. He becomes the 11th member of the 500 rebound club at Georgia Southern and the 10th player to score 1,000 career points and pull 500 career rebounds.
A 15-2 run by the Aggies in the first half allowed the visitors lead by as many as 11 points in the first half and take a 34-28 advantage into the halftime break.
Just a few moments into the second half, Georgia Southern went on a 7-0 run to tie the game at 36-36 thanks to back-to-back bombs from downtown by Roberts, the second coming with 17:30 remaining. The teams traded the lead with neither squad able to pull an advantage of more than four points over the better part of the next 10 minutes.
Georgia Southern entered the final five minutes of the game down by three points, 56-53. A three-pointer by Reed with 4:09 brought the Eagles even at 56-56. A pair of back-to-back baskets by A&T, the second coming with 2:26 remaining gave the Aggies a 62-58 lead.
Coming out of the final media timeout, Ferguson made an old fashioned three point play to cut the lead to one at 62-61 with just better than a minute remaining. Over the final minute, A&T outscored the Eagles 9-4 to take the 71-65 victory over the Eagles.