Furman 75, Gardner-Webb 64

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Sophomore Stephen Croone poured in a career-high 30 points and freshman William Gates Jr. added 18 points to lead Furman to a 75-64 victory over Gardner-Webb in non-conference men’s basketball action Tuesday night on YP Court at Timmons Arena.

The win improved the Paladins to 2-0 on the season while the Runnin’ Bulldogs dropped to 0-2.

 

Croone, who scored 18 of his game-high 30 points in the second half, connected on 10-of-19 shots and converted on 9-of-12 trips to the foul line in 34 minutes of action.  Gates made 7-of-11 shots, including 2-for-2 from three-point range, while sophomore Kendrec Ferrara added six points and a game-high 10 rebounds.  Larry Wideman chipped in with nine points and six boards.

 

After leading in the opening minutes by six, Furman trailed 20-19 midway through the first half before Croone aided a 7-0 run with a pair of free throws and a layup off of a steal to give the Paladins a 26-20 advantage with 7:46 to play in the first half.  The Paladins extended the lead to 10 points before settling for a 37-29 edge at intermission.

 

Gardner-Webb trimmed the margin to just two points at 43-41, but Furman answered with a 20-9 run and secured a 63-50 lead with 6:59 to play on Ferrara’s offensive board and stick back.  The Runnin’s Bulldogs responded with a run of their own to cut the Paladin lead to 65-58 with 4:13 to play following back-to-back baskets from point guard Tyler Strange, who finished with 17 points and six assists.  

 

The Paladins put the game out of reach by forcing Gardner-Webb into turnovers on three of its next four possessions, and Croone netted six straight points as part of an 8-0 spurt as Furman opened the lead to 73-58 with 1:23 left.

 

Furman shot 44.4 percent for the night, connected on 5-of-13 three-point attempts and 18-of-27 foul shots.  The Paladins out-rebounded Gardner-Webb 40-35 and scored 20 points off of 17 offensive rebounds.

 

The Runnin’ Bulldogs shot 40.7 percent from the floor, but made just 3-of-16 shots beyond the arc.  Jerome Hill came off of the bench to notch a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds.  Donta Harper joined Strange and Hill in double figures with 11 points on just 3-for-13 shooting.

 

The Citadel 82, Presbyterian 68

CHARLESTON, S.C. – Junior guard Ashton Moore scored 19 points to lead four Citadel players in double figures as the Bulldogs earned an 82-68 victory over Presbyterian on Tuesday night at McAlister Field House.

Accompanying Moore in double figures was Matt Van Scyoc (16 points), Harris III (14) and Dylen Setzekorn (12). Collectively the Bulldogs hit 29-of-56 from the field and 11-of-24 from beyond the arc. The offensive production came in large part from 16 assists, including six each from the backcourt duo of Moore and Harris. The Cadets (1-2) also controlled the glass, 39-34, keyed by 29 defensive rebounds.

Among the top individual shooters for The Citadel was Moore, who finished 7-of-11 from the floor and 3-of-5 from long distance. Van Scyoc closed out the game by knocking down 5-of-11 from the field and 6-of-6 at the free throw line. He also made his presence felt on the glass with a team-high eight rebounds (three offensive).

Setzekorn proved to be a valuable reserve in head coach Chuck Driesell's attack by hitting 5-of-11 from the floor, including a pair of timely 3-pointers. Harris put together a solid outing by hitting 4-of-6 from the field with all four conversions coming from 3-point range.

Presbyterian (0-2) was led by the trio of William Truss (20 points), Jordan Downing (16) and Reggie Dillard (16). The Blue Hose rebounded from a tough first half, in which they hit 12-of-32 from the field, to finish 29-of-68 for the game. The biggest struggles came from long range as PC converted just 3-of-16 from 3-point range.

Starting the second half with an 11-point advantage The Citadel quickly pushed the lead to 47-31 behind four points from Van Scyoc in just over three minutes. A quick timeout allowed Presbyterian to regroup as they put together a 6-0 run keyed by a pair of buckets from Markus Terry.

The Bulldogs pushed their lead back to double figures with a Setzekorn jumper, 52-41, before a pair of scores by Downing and Dillard narrowed the gap to seven. That sparked an eventual 16-7 run by the Blue Hose that included four points each by Truss and Dillard.

Setzekorn again came through in the clutch for the Bulldogs, slicing past the PC defense where he drew a foul by Danny Herrera. After closing the door defensively, Van Scyoc knocked down a jumper from the elbow to make for a 63-57 Citadel advantage.

Timely baskets by Van Scyoc, White and Brian White kept The Citadel in front by six, 69-63, with 4:53 remaining. Truss followed with an old-fashioned three-point play of his own, allowing Presbyterian to make one final charge for the lead.

The Bulldogs, behind three points each from Van Scyoc and Setzekorn, closed out the contest on an 11-2 run and earned their first victory of the season.

Highlighted by an 11-point, four-assist effort from Moore, The Citadel finished 14-of-26 (53.8%) from the floor in the first half to take a 41-31 lead into the intermission. Moore connected on 4-of-5 from the floor, draining all three attempts from beyond the arc, to lead the Bulldogs to an 8-of-14 performance from the 3-point line. He was joined in scoring by Harris, who tallied six points on 2-of-3 shooting.

PC countered with a 12-of-32 first half outing behind the offensive efforts of Downing, who tallied 12 points. Downing reached double figures by virtue of a 5-for-9 performance from the field that included two treys. He received support in the paint from Reggie Dillard who scored eight points, hitting 4-of-6 from the charity stripe.

The Citadel grabbed a 12-9 lead in the early going behind five points from Moore and four from Van Scyoc. That difference was stretched to seven following a series of treys by Setzekorn and Quinton Marshall as the Bulldogs moved out in front 18-11 at the 11:50 mark.

Presbyterian got the Bulldogs in early foul trouble and capitalized on free throw shots by Herrera and Dillard to eventually cut the lead to six, 24-18. It was there that The Citadel got a lift offensively from Marshall who drove through the lane and drew contact from Herrera for a three-point play.

The energized Bulldogs put together an eventual 17-5 run, highlighted by 3-pointers from Harris and Moore, to move in front 41-23 with just under four minutes left in the frame.

Presbyterian closed out the half on an 8-0 run to close out the half, trimming the deficit to 41-31, highlighted by a Downing trey at the buzzer as the two teams headed to the locker rooms.

 

East Carolina 85, UNCG 84

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Despite a career-high 34 points from freshman guard Tevon Saddler, the UNCG men’s basketball team suffered a heart-breaking 85-84 loss to visiting in-state foe East Carolina Tuesday night at the Greensboro Coliseum. East Carolina scored five points in the final 12 seconds to stun UNCG, including three free throws by Akeem Richardson with 1.2 seconds left to give the Pirates the victory.

“I am really proud of my group tonight – can’t be prouder to be honest,” head coach Wes Miller said. “I thought they made game-winning plays and did enough to win the game. It is unfortunate it didn’t shake out that way. You have to give Jeff a lot a credit as he has done a lot with this team and they showed a lot of resiliency down two possessions late in the game. I thought my team played tough, played together and made the plays needed to win the game. It is just unfortunate that it didn’t turn out that way. We need to respond correctly and come back to practice looking to get better every day.”

Saddler’s 34 points are a UNCG freshman record in the NCAA Division I era, surpassing Trevis Simpson’s 33-point effort against Davidson. He connected on 10-of-15 from the field and was 14-of-19 from the free throw line in his coming out party. He also grabbed a career-high eight rebounds, dished out five assists, blocked one shot and notched a steal in 33 minutes of action. Bruce Shaw scored 41 points for the Spartans against the College of Charleston Jan. 13, 1969 for the school record by a freshman.

Junior forward Kyle Cain fell just shy of a double-double as he scored 16 points and grabbed a game-high nine rebounds. Cain was 6-of-10 from the field and 4-of-6 from the free throw line in 36 minutes of play. Junior Nicholas Paulos added 16 points in 37 minutes as he was 5-of-10 from the field, including four three-pointers.

UNCG finished the night shooting 50 percent (26-of-52) from the field and 50 percent (6-of-12) from long range. The Spartans also improved at the free throw line hitting 74.3 percent (26-of-35), led by Saddler’s 19 attempts. UNCG also held a 43-31 edge on the glass, marking the second straight game the Spartans have led in that category.

Richmond led five Pirates in double figures scoring in the victory as he finished with 16 points, despite hitting just 5-of-13 from the field as he was a perfect 5-of-5 from the free throw line. East Carolina finished the night shooting 89.3 percent (25-of-28) from the charity stripe just one game after only shooting 50 percent (11-of-22) against North Carolina Wesleyan.

The Spartans held a six-point lead at 79-73 with 1:05 left after Saddler hit a pair of free throws. Brandan Stith scored on the ensuing possession on an offensive rebound before Cain and Prince Williams exchanged free throw makes.

The Pirates trimmed the deficit to 80-78 with 40 seconds remaining after Michael Zangari scored in the paint. Saddler responded with two more free throw makes before Williams added a pair from the charity stripe. The Spartans broke the ECU press and Cain scored in the paint to make it an 84-80 game with 20 seconds remaining, setting the stage for the final 20 improbable seconds.

East Carolina missed a three-pointer on the ensuing possession but Caleb White was fouled on the rebound and hit both to make it an 84-82 game. The Spartans inbounded the ball against pressure, but ECU forced a steal and Richmond attempted a deep three-pointer. The referees called a foul on the Spartans sending Richmond to the line with 1.2 seconds remaining and he buried all three to give the Pirates the victory. Senior Drew Parker saw his half court heave hit off the back iron and out as time expired with the chaotic ending.

UNCG opened the game quickly as the Spartans scored the first 10 points of the game on their way to a 17-4 start. Saddler got the Spartans rolling early with six points in the first six-plus minutes as he drove to the basket with ease against the Pirates. Cain continued his strong start to his UNCG career, scoring six points in the opening stretch.

After the Spartans opened to a 31-16 lead on a layup by Cain, East Carolina started to chip away at the deficit scoring nine straight points to trim the UNCG lead to 31-25. The Pirates went to the free throw line four times in the stretch while Richmond hit a three-pointer off a scramble to make it a two-possession game.

UNCG regrouped and closed the half on a 7-2 run to go into the locker room with a 40-30 lead. Paulos started the closing run with a three-point while Cain and freshman Tyrone Outlaw each added a pair of free throws to give the Spartans a double-digit lead at the break.

The Spartans connected on 48.0 percent (12-of-25) from the field in the first half and sit 13-of-16 (81.3%) from the free throw line. Saddler led all scorers in the first 20 minutes with 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field and 6-of-8 from the charity stripe. Cain chipped in 10 points and five rebounds in the first half as UNCG out-rebounded the Pirates 22-15.

East Carolina connected on just 28.1 percent (9-of-32) from the field and hit 9-of-10 from the line. Caleb White led the Pirates with 11 points off the bench while no other ECU player had more than five points in the first half.

The Pirates started to chip away at the deficit early in the second half, posting a 15-4 run to take a 52-51 lead just under eight minutes into the second half. Richmond scored five points in the run while Campbell added back-to-back baskets.

The Spartans weathered the storm and re-took the lead with seven straight points as Outlaw and Saddler scored on back-to-back possession. Paulos put UNCG in front 61-55 with 7:35 left as he hit a three-pointer on the wing. UNCG maintained the lead down the stretch until the final seconds of the game before suffering the difficult loss. 

Campbell 73, Appalachian State 66

BOONE, N.C. - Appalachian State University men’s basketball cut a late 16-point deficit all the way to four but the rally came up short in a 73-66 loss to Campbell in Tuesday night’s 2013-14 home opener at the Holmes Center.

Appalachian State (0-2) trailed 64-48 with seven minutes to go but went on a 14-2 run over the next 4:38, capped by a Tab Hamilton three-pointer that cut the Campbell lead to 66-62 with 2:22 still remaining in the ballgame.

Appalachian pulled within four points on two more occasions in the waning minutes but did not get any closer as Campbell (2-0) - which did not make a field goal in the final 6:22 of the contest - made enough free throws down the stretch (7-of-12) to keep the Mountaineers at arm’s length.

The difference in the game was free-throw shooting. Despite missing five of its final 12 attempts, Campbell finished 17-of-25 (.680) at the charity stripe while Appalachian State missed nine of its first 10 attempts and finished just 9-of-22 (.409) at the line.

Mike Neal led three Mountaineers in double-figures with 20 points, despite making just 4-of-10 free-throw attempts. Chris Burgess scored 14 points off the bench and Hamilton added 10. Michael Obacha grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds but made just 1-of-6 free throws and finished with seven points. 

UT-Arlington 88, Samford 75

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Despite trailing by 14 points in the first half Tuesday, the Samford University basketball team battled back to within 51-48 at the 15:31 mark in the second period to nearly take the lead from the UT Arlington Mavericks in front of 1,239 boisterous fans at the College Park Center.

The Bulldogs’ All-Southern Conference performer Raijon Kelly scored 14 of his 18 points in the second half, but UT Arlington closed out the game on a 37-27 run to earn an 88-75 win.

“This was our first road game as a group, so it was a little tough for us,” said Samford head coach Bennie Seltzer. “Our guys are still trying to understand that our mistakes need to be limited when you’re playing on the road. Late in the game, we got away from what we ordinarily do and that’s the nature of the beast when you’re playing a good team on the road.

“Now, we’re going to go back to the drawing board, but we still have five more games on the road. This is going to be a learning experience for us. We’ll watch the film, learn from it, get better and we’ll be ready to play in our next one.”

Samford (1-1) moved to 0-1 when playing away from home season and will continue its early six-game road stretch at No. 24-ranked Indiana on Friday at 6 p.m. (CST). The contest will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network and will be the Bulldogs’ first all-time meeting with the Hoosiers.

UT Arlington (1-1) finished Tuesday’s game with five players scoring in double figures and was paced by preseason Sun Belt Conference selection Brandon Edwards’ 18 points and 17 rebounds. He played a game-high 36 minutes and finished 6-of-10 from the field. Additionally, Edwards knocked down a pair of 3-point baskets.

The Mavericks’ Reger Dewell, a transfer from Oklahoma State, led all scorers with 24 points on 8-of-17 shooting from the field. He also grabbed seven rebounds and handed out two assists.

Samford’s Kelly led the Bulldogs with 18 points, while Tyler Hood and Connor Miller both finished with 12 points apiece. Tim Williams pulled down a team-high 12 rebounds, but failed to reach double figures in scoring for just the second time in 18 games. Williams, Samford’s 2013 SoCon Freshman of the Year, tallied nine points on 3-of-12 shooting from the floor.

During the Bulldogs’ comeback stretch early in the second half, Kelly exploded for nine points, while Miller drained a 3-pointer and Hood knocked down a jumper. Following Kelly’s floater from the right flank at 15:31, Samford only trailed UT Arlington by three points, 51-48.

“We were able to make that run early in the second half because we weren’t turning the ball over,” Seltzer said. “We were taking care of the ball, taking good shots and sharing the basketball, but ultimately, we were getting stops. That was the most important part of that stretch. When you get stops, then you have a great opportunity to close the gap.”

The Mavericks slowly continued to add to their lead midway through the second frame and eventually built a 74-58 advantage with 6:08 left to play.

With 4:27 remaining in the game, the Bulldogs’ Miller knocked down a deep 3-point basket to bring Samford within nine points at 75-66, but UT Arlington stemmed the rally and held on for a final score of 88-75.

UT Arlington shot 50 percent from the field and 40 percent from beyond the arc Tuesday, while the Bulldogs finished 38.3 percent from the floor and with a solid 43.5 mark from long range.

The Mavericks didn’t commit a single turnover in the second half and out-rebounded Samford, 42-35.

The Bulldogs’ Isaiah Williams and Brandon Roberts both came off the bench and provided an offensive spark Tuesday. Williams scored nine points on a 3-of-7 performance from 3-point range, while Roberts added six points in only 10 minutes of playing time.

“I thought Isaiah and Brandon played well,” said Seltzer. “This was the first road game of their collegiate careers, so I suspect that those guys will continue to get better and better as the season goes on. I’m encouraged by how some of our guys played. We played well in certain areas, but then there were some areas where we didn’t play so well. We need to be a better rebounding team and we need to do a better job of boxing out and pursuing the ball.”

Samford’s Russell Wilson earned the start at point guard and tallied six points, six assists and a pair of rebounds in 29 minutes of game action. He finished 2-of-3 from the field and 2-of-4 from the charity stripe.

Samford only shot 31 percent from the field in the first half, but just trailed UT Arlington by seven points at the intermission, 41-34. Conversely, the Mavericks posted a 45.2 shooting percentage in the opening period and knocked down 5-of-8 3-point attempts for a sterling 62.5 mark from beyond the arc.

The Bulldogs finished with seven players scoring baskets in the first half and were paced by Hood, Roberts and Isaiah Williams with six points apiece. Tim Williams, Samford’s 6-foot-9 forward from Chicago, Ill., registered five points and seven rebounds in the opening 20 minutes of action.

Both teams shot free throws well in the first half. Samford turned in a 76.5 percentage from the charity stripe, while UT Arlington was nearly perfect from the line at 8-of-9.

The Bulldogs forced the Mavericks into 11 turnovers in the first half, but UT Arlington out-rebounded Samford, 24-17.