Davidson 94, Georgia 82

CHARLESTON, S.C. – De’Mon Brooks (21) and Brian Sullivan (20) both hit the 20-point plateau to lead four Davidson players in double figures as the Wildcats defeated Georgia, 94-82, in the first round of the Charleston Classic Thursday evening at TD Arena.

Davidson will take on the winner of Temple/Clemson game in tomorrow night’s semifinals at 9:30 p.m. on ESPNU.

Joining Brooks and Sullivan in double digits for Davidson (1-3) were sophomore Jordan Barham and freshman Jack Gibbs, who came off the bench to record personal highs of 18 and 13, respectively. Brooks did most of his damage at the free-throw line, converting 13-of-16 attempts, while leading the Wildcats with eight boards.

With the game tied 30-30, Davidson closed the first half on a 16-6 run, highlighted three 3-pointers, including the first of Barham’s career, to take a 46-36 lead into the break.
Sullivan led the way with 18 first-half points for the Wildcats, who went 17-of-21 from the line in the period.

Georgia (1-2) held the edge in shooting from the field at 55.8 percent to Davidson’s 44.8 percent, but free throws and turnovers proved to be deciding factors.

The Wildcats went 34-for-41 at the charity stripe, while the Bulldogs were only 19-for-24. The ‘Cats, who committed a season-low five turnovers, forced 16 miscues, turning them into 18 points at the other end.

The Bulldogs also had four double-digit scorers with Nemanja Djurisic leading the way with 19 points, going 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. Charles Mann had 18 points, while Kenny Gaines and Cameron Forte chipped in 13 and 10, respectively.

After Georgia cut the deficit to six, 50-44, the Wildcats responded with another lengthy run and pushed the margin to as many as 17, 85-68, on a Gibbs layup with just under six minutes to play.

Minnesota 79, Wofford 57

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – On a cold and snowy Thursday night, the Wofford men’s basketball team was defeated 79-57 by the University of Minnesota at historic Williams Arena. The Golden Gophers opened the game on a 13-0 run and had a 26 point lead at the break, but the Terriers outscored Minnesota in the second half. 

Wofford is 1-3 to open the season. Minnesota improves to 5-0 under head coach Richard Pitino. Lee Skinner led the Terriers with 18 points and seven rebounds, while Spencer Collins and Eric Garcia each added ten points. The Golden Gophers were led by Austin Hollins, who leads the Big Ten in scoring, with 18 points. Elliott Eliason had 11 points and 11 rebounds, along with seven blocks.

The Golden Gophers opened the game with a three pointer and jumped out to a 13-0 lead after three minutes of play. Spencer Collins ended the run, but Minnesota pushed the score to 18-2 at the 14:11 mark of the first half on the strength of four three pointers. A three pointer by Spencer Collins made it a 27-9 game at the ten minute mark.

A jumper by Eric Garcia cut the lead to 29-11 with eight minutes left in the first half. A pair of lay-up by C.J. Neumann and Lee Skinner made it a 37-18 game at the 4:30 mark of the half. The Golden Gophers scored the final nine points of the half for a 50-24 lead at the break. Minnesota shot 70.8% from the floor in the first half, including 6-of-11 from three.

Lee Skinner scored the first points of the second half, but Minnesota had a 55-30 lead after four minutes. A dunk by Justin Gordon cut the score to 55-32 at the 15:40 mark. Back-to-back buckets by Karl Cochran made it a 59-36 game with 12:05 on the clock. Lee Skinner hit two free throws for a 61-40 score, but the Golden Gophers answered with a three.

Wofford’s C.J. Neumann added a jumper with eight minutes left in the game which made it a 64-44 score. Eric Garcia hit a three and a pair of free throws by Spencer Collins cut the lead to 72-52 at the four minute mark. Minnesota again answered with a three pointer and was able to make it a 79-57 final score.

Wofford shot 31 percent from the floor while Minnesota shot 50.8 percent overall. The Terriers were 4-of-21 from with three, while the Golden Gophers were 8-of-23 from behind the arc. Minnesota was 11-of-13 from the line while Wofford was 17-of-20 on free throws. Minnesota had a slim 36 to 35 lead on the glass. Wofford had 11 turnovers on the night, while Minnesota had eight.

West Virginia 101, Georgia Southern 68

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Georgia Southern spotted West Virginia an early 13-0 advantage as the Mountaineers went on to a 101-68 win on Thursday night at the WVU Coliseum. Tre Bussey paced the Georgia Southern offense with 21 points as the Eagles couldn’t answer West Virginia’s 56 percent shooting from the field.

Bussey has scored over 20 points in all four games this season and finished the night with 21 on 4-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc. As a team, Georgia Southern (2-2) struggled in the frist half, just shooting 27 percent from the field and 21 percent from the bonusphere.

West Virginia got off to a hot start in the opening minutes, posting a 13-0 run to start the game. The Mountaineers parlayed that advantage into a 30-point advantage with 6:33 in the first half and took a 55-26 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Jelani Hewitt added 15 points as the junior guard was held to his lowest scoring output of the season. He added six rebounds and five assists on the night. In the second period Southern improved its shooting, going 55 percent from the field and 33 percent from downtown. The Eagles dropped 42 second half points after being held to 26 in the opening stanza.

Juwan Staten scored 20 to lead the way for the Mountaineers. Overall, five players scored in double figures with Devin Williams and Brandon Watkins adding 16 while Eron Harris and Gary Browne scored 15 and 10, respectively.

As a unit, West Virginia shot 56 percent from the field for the night and went 38 percent from beyond the arc to improve to 3-1 on the campaign.

Angel Matias was the star for the Eagles on the glass, pulling 11 rebounds, one off a career-high. The junior also dropped seven points in the contest. Junior Curtis Diamond had eight points to round out the Eagle scorers, filling in for Brian Holmes who got into foul trouble early.

Wake Forest 82, The Citadel 54

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Coron Williams scored a team-high 12 points, nine of which came in the second half, as Wake Forest earned an 82-54 victory over The Citadel in Thursday night action at Lawrence Joel Veterans Coliseum.

Williams was one of three Demon Deacons (5-0) to reach double figures, joined by Devin Thomas (11 points) and Travis McKie (10). Williams converted 4-of-7 from the field with all but one field goal coming from beyond the arc. He led a Wake Forest unit that finished 28-of-64 (43.8%) from the floor and 9-of-18 from 3-point range.

Wake Forest shuffled 15 players through the rotation and finished with advantages in rebounds (45-34), points in the paint (34-20) and bench points (41-14).

The Citadel (2-4) was led in scoring by the tandem of Brian White (18 points) and Matt Van Scyoc (12). White capped off the game by hitting 9-of-13 from the field and shared team high's in rebounds (five) with Tom Koopman and Marshall Harris III.

Van Scyoc reached double figures due in large part to his 5-for-5 outing from the free throw line, moving his consecutive made free throw streak to 34. He and Harris (5-9) highlighted a Citadel unit that knocked down 12-of-16 (75%) from the charity stripe.

Four unanswered points to open the second half, including a 3-pointer by Madison Jones, provided the Deacs with a 38-27 advantage in less than one minute of action.

The Dogs quickly answered with conversions by White and Van Scyoc, drawing to within seven, but it was a 9-5 Wake Forest spurt that moved the lead back to double figures, 47-36.

After Koopman hit a jump hook over the Demon Deacons defense that cut the lead to 47-38, Wake Forest responded with an 18-6 run that included three straight 3-pointers by Williams to stretch the lead to 65-44.

Quinton Marshall answered with a trey at the 7:33 mark for the Cadets, putting the lead under 20, but Aaron Rountree singlehandedly gave Wake Forest a 71-47 advantage with six straight points.

The Citadel scored seven points over the final 3:52 of the contest, including a high-arching 3-pointer by Van Scyoc, but it was not enough to halt the Deacons' now 10-game winning streak against the Bulldogs.

The Citadel rebounded from a difficult shooting performance early to close the half by knocking down 10-of-23 (43.5%) from the floor. White led the way for the Bulldogs, knocking down 6-of-7 to finish with 12 points at the half. He highlighted a Citadel team that recorded 10 points in the paint and managed two offensive rebounds.

The Bulldogs also received seven points from Van Scyoc, who knocked down 2-of-4 field goal attempts, including a fadeaway on an inbounds pass. The Citadel took advantage of 10 Wake Forest fouls to finish 6-of-10 from the charity stripe.

Wake Forest answered with a 12-of-33 first half shooting performance, hitting 4-of-8 (50%) from beyond the arc. Miller-McIntyre led the Deacons in scoring with eight points followed by Thomas (seven) and Cavanaugh (six).

WFU used their strength in the post to outmuscle the Dogs on the glass (21-19), giving them a 4-0 edge in second chance points. However, it was eight missed opportunities at the free throw line (6-14) that limited Wake Forest's offense.

The Deacons followed White's opening bucket of the game with a 14-2 run that included baskets from six different players. The 14-point outburst was highlighted by a long distance 3-pointer by Williams and a dunk from McKie.

The Dogs halted the drought with a series of jumpers by Van Scyoc and White to make for a 16-8 affair.

After a pair of Marshall Harris III free throws pulled The Citadel within six, Miles Overton sent home a 3-pointer to provide a WFU with a 19-10 lead.

The resilient Citadel squad continued to attack the basket and behind five points, all from Van Scyoc, the lead was narrowed to 21-17. Robinson answered a Miller-McIntyre 3-pointer with the only trey of the half for the Dogs and following a Harris free throw the Deacons led by only three, 24-21.

Conversions by the inside freshman tandem of White and Koopman kept the Dogs within striking distance, 28-25, but Wake Forest closed the half on a 6-2 run to lead 34-27 at the intermission.

 

Kent State 72, Western Carolina 59

KENT, Ohio – Tawaski King poured in a season-high 17 points on 8-of-15 shooting from the floor for the Catamounts as Western Carolina dropped a 72-59 road loss to host Kent State in the first of three games in the M.A.C. Center for the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic.

King, who averages 9.5 points per game, has scored in double-digits in the past two games after scoring 10 points against Liberty.  King’s 8-of-15 shooting for a 53 percent field goal percentage was slightly above his season mark of 52 percent.  He also collected a season-high nine rebounds in the loss.

Trailing 11-9, six minutes into play, WCU took off on a 9-0 run that was sparked Trey Sumler fast-break layup following a James Sinclair steal.  The Catamount run carried WCU’s lead out to 18-11 following a King three-point play with 7:55 showing on the clock in the first half.  Kent State’s Kellon Thomas knocked down a jumper to halt the WCU spurt at the seven-minute mark; his made basket ended a seven and half minute stretch for the Golden Flashes without any points.

The jumper also sent Kent State on a 16-4 run over the final seven minutes of the first half as the Golden Flashes carried a 27-22 lead at the break.  WCU’s only field goal during the Kent State rally was a Kenneth Hall dunk – created when Mike Brown forced a turnover underneath the Golden Flashes’ basket -- two minutes before the halftime buzzer.

Four and half minutes into the second half, WCU trimmed Kent State’s lead down to three points, 37-34 following a Brandon Boggs three-point play, but the Golden Flashes took the lead out to double-digits for the first time, 47-36, with 11:40 left following a Chris Ortiz jumper in the paint.

A minute later a Justin Browning free throw and three by Tom Tankelewicz pulled the Catamounts within seven points, 47-40, but Kent State quickly recovered with a 9-0 run sparked by five points from Mark Henniger.  Henniger had a three-play during the run as Golden Flashes pushed the lead back 56-40 with 7:30 left on the clock.  Kent State held the lead over the final seven and half minutes to earn the 72-59 win.

After a sluggish first half, the Purple & Gold recouped to shoot 36 percent from the floor, 22-of-61, while Kent State went 23-of-61 overall for a 38 percent field goal percentage.  The Golden Flashes went 24-of-30 from the free throw line as Kent State attempted 13 more free throws than the Catamounts.  WCU made 11 of its 17 attempts from the charity stripe.

Boggs chipped in with 12 points for WCU.  With his 995 career points following Thursday’s game, Boggs continues to inch towards becoming the 43rd Catamount to cross the 1,000-point mark.

Kent State was led by Henniger, who tallied 17 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the floor and a perfect 9-of-9 from the free throw line.  Kris Brewer and K.K. Simmons added 12 points and 10 points respectively for the Golden Flashes.

The Catamounts (3-3) will play Niagara, who fell 83-74 in 5 p.m. game against USC Upstate, Friday at 5 p.m. back in the M.A.C. Center.

East Tennessee State 89, Samford 75

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. -- In the opening game of the 2013 First Bank and Trust Company Roundball Showcase held Thursday at Freedom Hall, the Samford University basketball team dropped an 89-75 decision versus the East Tennessee State Buccaneers.

With 13:15 left in the game, Samford (1-4) held a seven-point advantage over East Tennessee State (1-4), 54-47. The Bulldogs led 37-34 at the intermission and then opened the second half of play in a good rhythm by knocking down five of their first eight shots of the period.

Raijon Kelly, Samford’s junior guard from St. Paul, Minn., drained a 17-footer from the top of the key to give the Bulldogs their seven-point advantage.

At that point, the Buccaneers called timeout and subsequently went on a 16-2 run to take a 63-56 advantage in the game with 8:52 remaining to play. During ETSU’s second-half rally, A.J. Merriweather and Rashawn Rembert both scored five points, while Lester Wilson and Kinard Gadsden-Gillard tallied three points apiece.

Samford true freshman Jordan Capps scored three of his five points on an old-fashioned 3-point play at the 5:35 mark in the game to trim ETSU’s lead to 68-63. The Buccaneers then answered with a jumper from Wilson and 3-point basket from Jalen Riley to move their advantage back to 10 at 73-63.

From that point in the game, Samford would never come any closer than eight points.

ETSU finished Thursday’s contest with five players scoring in double figures. Wilson came off the bench to score a team-high 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting for the Buccaneers, while Gadsden-Gilliard added 18 and Riley chipped in with 16.

Riley, ETSU’s junior guard, scored all 16 of his points in the second half and knocked down 11-of-13 free throws down the stretch.

Merriweather and Rembert rounded out the Buccaneers scoring with 15 and 13 points, respectively. Gadsden-Gilliard finished Thursday’s contest with a game-high 12 rebounds to register the night’s lone double-double.

Samford shot a solid 46.3 percent from the field, but only 43.3 percent in the second half, as compared to a brilliant 50-percent mark in the opening 20 minutes of action.

The Bulldogs were led in both scoring and rebounding by sophomore forward Tim Williams, who accumulated 21 points and seven boards. Samford’s talented native of Chicago, Ill., is now averaging 14.6 points per game this season.

Kelly followed with 20 points on 6-of-16 shooting from the floor and connected on 6-of-7 of his free-throw attempts. He also pulled down three rebounds and handed out a trio of assists.

Samford’s Isaiah Williams, who earned the first start of his young, five-game collegiate career Thursday, tallied nine points, a rebound and an assist, while junior guard Connor Miller drained a trio of 3-point baskets for nine points. Miller also grabbed three rebounds and blocked a shot.

ETSU held a 42-11 advantage in bench scoring and out-rebounded the Bulldogs, 41-28. The Buccaneers also led, 17-5, in second-chance points, while Samford gained the advantage in points off turnovers, 13-4.

The Bulldogs only committed eight turnovers Thursday.

With Thursday’s loss, Samford moved to 0-3 all-time against ETSU and fell to 0-1 in the 2013 First Bank and Trust Company Roundball Showcase.