Samford 79, Martin Methodist 62
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- For a second straight year, Samford’s Tim Williams opened the season in dominant fashion Friday as the Bulldogs’ sophomore forward from Chicago, Ill., recorded a double-double with 19 points and 16 rebounds en route to a 79-62 victory over the Martin Methodist Redhawks.
In Samford’s 2013-14 season-opener held at the Pete Hanna Center, Williams registered the seventh double-double of his young career and pulled down a career-high 16 rebounds.
Last year, as a true freshman, Williams scored a career-high 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the Bulldogs’ hard-fought 75-64 season-opening loss at Austin Peay.
“I have to give a lot of credit to Martin Methodist,” said Samford head coach Bennie Seltzer. “They are an extremely tough basketball team. They play the right way, they play hard and they share the basketball. We knew coming in that this would be a tough game for us. Down the stretch, our guys figured it out a little bit and we got some huge stops there in the second half.”
Samford (1-0) led by as many as 11 points in the first half and took a 34-26 advantage into halftime.
Martin Methodist, which entered Friday’s contest boasting a 2-0 record and a pair of road victories against Oakwood University and Fisk University, opened the second period with a 9-0 run and took a 35-34 advantage at the 17:17 mark. The Redhawks’ D’Angelo Tucker connected on a pair of key buckets during Martin Methodist’s second-half streak.
The teams battled back and forth midway through the final frame until Samford used a decisive 18-2 run to garner a 60-45 advantage and to put the game away. During their critical stretch, the Bulldogs’ Jordan Capps scored seven points, Tim Williams added six and Raijon Kelly chipped in with five.
Capps, Samford’s dynamic true freshman from Suwanee, Ga., finished the game with eight points, five rebounds, an assist and a steal in only 16 minutes of playing time. Fellow true freshman Isaiah Williams earned 27 minutes of action at the point guard position and finished with 16 points and five assists.
Following Samford’s 18-2 run late in the second half, the Bulldogs never led by less than 10 points for the remainder of the game.
Samford out-rebounded the Redhawks, 46-37, including a 16-12 margin on the offensive end of the court. The Bulldogs’ Tim Williams finished with seven offensive rebounds Friday.
Kelly, Samford’s First-Team All-Southern Conference performer, scored 14 points on 6-of-15 shooting from the field Friday and added five assists, four rebounds and a pair of steals. The Bulldogs’ floor general from St. Paul, Minn., played a team-high 34 minutes, but also committed a team-high four turnovers.
As a team, Samford shot 43.3 percent from the field and turned in a 31.8 mark from 3-point range. The Bulldogs limited Martin Methodist to a 36.7 shooting percentage from the field.
Samford junior Connor Miller logged 34 minutes of playing time and finished Friday’s contest with seven points, three rebounds, three assists and a blocked shot. Tyler Hood, Brandon Roberts and Michael Bradley all finished with four points apiece.
UNCG 82, High Point 74
GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNCG men’s basketball team led for all but 19 seconds Saturday night as the Spartans opened the 2013-14 season with an impressive 82-74 victory over Triad rival and Big South Conference preseason favorite High Point at the Greensboro Coliseum. The Spartans had a season-opener record crowd of 5,734 fans at the Coliseum, surpassing the Spartans’ previous mark of 5,672 against Clemson in the first game of the 2009 season.
“This was a big win for our young group of guys,” head coach Wes Miller said. “We are a totally new group of guys and to get a win in the opener against a very good High Point team that was picked to win the Big South, is rewarding for our team. I was most pleased with the team effort as everyone had moments tonight where they contributed to the victory up and down the lineup. If we can stay together and build on that team attitude, this team is talented enough to be pretty good this year.”
The Spartans’ frontcourt duo of sophomore forward Kayel Locke and junior Kyle Cain led the way as they combined for 42 points and 16 rebounds. Locke fell just one point shy of tying his career-high as he finished with 21 points and nine rebounds. He was 7-of-12 from the field and 7-of-9 from the free throw line in 33 minutes of action.
Cain was playing in his first career game as a Spartan after sitting out last season due to NCAA transfer rules. He scored a career-high 21 points and grabbed seven rebounds in just 27 minutes of action. He was 9-of-13 from and hit both of his free throw attempts while also dishing out three assists.
Freshman forward Tyrone Outlaw came off the bench to provide a spark, nearly missing a double-double in his first career game. Outlaw scored 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds in just 24 minutes of action as he was 3-of-9 from the field and hit 7-of-8 from the free throw line. Classmate Tevon Saddler rounded out the Spartans in double figures as he scored 10 points, grabbed six rebounds and dished out four assists while battling through cramps the entire second half.
Allan Chaney led High Point (0-1) as he scored 21 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, but was 9-of-20 from the field. John Brown, the preseason Big South Player of the Year, scored 19 points and added eight rebounds but was limited to just 22 minutes due to foul trouble.
The Spartans came out of the gate quickly, scoring the first six points of the game as they used the energy from the crowd to take the lead. Locke continued his strong play from the exhibition game, scoring four of the first six points. High Point weathered the early storm and pulled within two at 10-8 as John Brown scored four straight points.
The Spartans kept High Point trailing with a quick 5-0 burst to take a 15-8 lead as Locke scored another basket and the Spartans went to the free throw line with their aggressive play. UNCG extended its lead to double figures at 25-15 with a 6-0 stretch with 6:39 left in the half. Saddler started the spurt with a basket in transition while Cain hit a baseline jumper for the 10-point lead.
High Point slowed the Spartans down with a zone defense and closed the half on a 7-1 run to narrow the Spartans’ halftime lead to 33-32. UNCG connected on 39.3 percent (11-of-28) from the field and just 25 percent (2-of-8) from long range. The Spartans went to the free throw line 17 times in the first half but only connected on 52.9 percent.
Locke led all scorers with 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field and 3-of-4 from the line. Saddler added six points and four assists in the opening 20 minutes. Allan Chaney led the Panthers with 12 points and six rebounds while Brown chipped in 11 points in 12 minutes of action.
High Point came out of the halftime break and took its first and only lead of the night 41-40 on a three-point play by Dejuan McGaughy at the 16:18 mark of the second half. The Spartans made that HPU lead short-lived though as Outlaw was fouled and calmly hit both free throws to give UNCG the lead back for good just 19 seconds later at 42-41.
The Spartans and Panthers maintained a one possession game for the next six-plus minutes until UNCG scored five straight points to take a 62-55 lead. Locke scored three in the run while freshman guard Diante Baldwin scored a pivotal basket on a drive on the break.
The Spartans continued to keep the Panthers at bay and ran the lead to nine at 69-60 with 4:56 left as junior Nicholas Paulos nailed a three-pointer against the zone for the added cushion. The Panthers made one final push but Cain iced the victory by nailing a three-pointer with 3:50 left in the game to give the Spartans a 72-62 lead. UNCG secured the victory in the final minute from the free throw line, hitting seven of their last eight attempts.
The Spartans connected on 46.4 percent (26-of-56) from the field and just 28.4 percent (5-of-17) from three-point land but hit two crucial long-range shots in the second half. UNCG went to the free throw line 40 times in the victory, hitting 62.5 percent on the night and 10 of its last 12. The Spartans also out-rebounded the Panthers by a 42-38 margin while also dishing out 12 assists compared to just three for HPU.
High Point finished the game shooting 43.5 percent (27-of-62) from the field and only 7.1 percent (1-of-14) from long range in the loss. McGaughy added 13 points in 31 minutes while Adam Weary chipped in 13 points before fouling out after 23 minutes of play.
UNCG continues its four-game season-opening home stand Tuesday night as it welcomes in in-state rival East Carolina. Game time is set for 7 p.m. at the Greensboro Coliseum.
Western Carolina 77, Wittenberg 55
CULLOWHEE, N.C. – The Western Carolina men’s basketball team opened the 2013-14 season with a 77-55 win over Wittenberg University highlighted by 30 points from the Catamounts’ bench including a career-high 12 points from sophomore forward Torrin Brummitt Friday night in the Ramsey Center.
Brummitt led the unit off the bench as he added a career-high six rebounds to go along with his 12 points. Sophomore guard Mike Brown scored 11 points on 3-of-7 shooting from the field and 4-of-6 from the charity stripe. Brown and fellow sub and sophomore guard, Rhett Harrelson, each handed out three assists. Not all of the Catamounts’ bench production came in the form of points as sophomore forward Justin Browning was electric on the defensive end for WCU. Browning had three steals and three blocks to go along with two points and two assists on the offensive end.
“I thought our depth in the first half with Mike Brown, Rhett Harrelson, Justin Browning and Torrin Brummitt is when we opened up the lead to double-digits,” said head WCU coach Larry Hunter. “Those guys subbed in, they weren’t quite as efficient in the second half, but they did a good job [in the first half].”
The four subbed in with 12:53 on the clock in the first half with the score knotted at 10 and immediately impacted play. Brummitt set the tone of a three minute span with a block and sparked WCU with the first three points of an 8-3 run that ended with the Catamounts up 20-13 with 9:48 remaining. During the stretch, Browning had two steals and a fast-break dunk that brought the Catamount crowd to its feet.
After back-to-back baskets by Wittenberg including a three from Cole Bond that cut the WCU lead to 20-18, the Catamounts closed out the remaining 8:12 of play in the half with a 25-7 run to take a 20-point lead, 45-25, into the intermission. The run to close out the half was more than enough as the Catamounts maintained the margin in the second half as they earned the 22-point win, 77-55.
“Overall we shot the ball fairly well,” added Hunter, who spent 13 seasons as the head coach at Wittenberg – his first stint as a head coach. “We had too many careless turnovers in the second half, and we need to clean that up a little bit. It is a good opener, a good win for us and a good start.”
WCU ended the game 49 percent, 27-of-55, from the floor and limited Wittenberg to 39 percent, 20-of-51, overall. The Tigers did outshoot the Catamounts from three knocking down 10-of-25 3-point shots for 40 percent compared to WCU’s 30 percent mark on 6-of-20 shooting from long range.
The Catamounts stingy defense created 21 Tiger turnovers resulting in 32 points, 13 of which came on fast breaks. WCU handed the ball over only 12 times for 11 Wittenberg points of turnovers, two of which came in transition.
Overall WCU placed four players in double figures as senior guard Tom Tankelewicz was the game’s leading scorer with 15 points highlighted by his long range touch, 4-of-7 from three. Junior James Sinclair followed with 13 points, four assists and a career-high four steals for WCU. Brandon Boggs collected a team-high eight rebounds and contributed nine points. Boggs continues to inch toward becoming the 41st Catamount to break the 1,000 career point mark; the senior now has 955 points following Friday night’s game.
Wittenberg did not place a player in double digits as Steven Newell led the way with nine points – all of which came on threes. Sam Collins and Alex Fultz each chipped in eight points, while Scott Masin grabbed a team-high eight boards.
The Catamounts stay in the Ramsey Center as they host UNC Asheville Monday, November 11 at 7 p.m. before embarking on a 10-day, six-game road trip that begins with a cross country clash at No. 19/18 Oregon on Wednesday, November 13.
Chattanooga 119, Covenant 56
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.---You never get a second chance to make a first impression. First-year Head Coach Will Wade and his Chattanooga Mocs (1-0) made the most of their first opportunity, crushing nearby Covenant College (0-0) 119-56, while debuting “Chaos” to the Scenic City.
“I thought we played well in spurts,” Wade stated. “I thought we fouled a little too much in the second half and put them in the bonus too quickly. I thought we were a little fatigued in the first half, which led to fouling and walking them to the foul line. That’s an area that we have to continue to improve.
Sophomore guard Gee McGhee led seven Mocs in double digits with 19 points tonight. It was a well-rounded game for the 2013 Southern Conference All-Freshman selection, adding a career-high seven assists to go with five rebounds and three steals.
He was not the only Moc with a multiple efforts on the stat sheet. Z. Mason had 16 points, eight boards and a career-best five blocks. His effort led the squad to 10 blocks on the night, a first since January of 2008.
Chattanooga led from start to finish. It scored the game’s first 14 points and never looked back. The Mocs delighted a crowd of 4,637, which is the largest attendance for a season opener at home since 6,170 crossed the turnstiles on November 25, 1995 (USC-Aiken).
Pryor started in his first collegiate game, getting the Mocs rolling early and often. He ended his night with 14 points, four assists and four steals. Lance Stokes chipped in 13 points, five rebounds, two blocks and a career-high five steals.
Others in double digits were Martynas Bareika, Eric Robertson and Alex Bran, all off the bench. Robertson had 13, while Barieka and Bran added 12 and 10 points, respectively. Freshman T.J. Williams controlled the glass with game-high 11 rebounds.
Covenant was led by Nate Frierson’s 11 points. The Scots were limited to 27.8 percent (15-54) shooting from the field, including 21.1 percent (4-19) from 3pt range. The Mocs forced their visitors into 34 turnovers resulting in 47 of their 119 points.
Chattanooga shot a robust 56 percent (42-75) from the field and 78.4 percent from the charity stripe (29-37). It tallied 49 rebounds, 22 assists and 19 steals with the aforementioned 10 blocks.
Elon 114, Washington & Lee 64
ELON, N.C. – Behind another sold out crowd Alumni Gym, the Elon University men’s basketball team treated the home fans to a 114-64 victory over the visiting Washington & Lee Generals on Friday night, Nov. 8, in Alumni Gym for its regular season opener.
The maroon and gold shot 72 percent from the field in the win, knocking down 41-of-57 field goal attempts. The Phoenix also hit for 57 percent (12-of-21) from beyond the arc.
The win marks the largest margin of victory during Matt Matheny’s tenure as head coach. It is also the most points in a season opener since the 1982-83 season.
“We shot the ball very well tonight,” said Matheny. “In the second half, I thought we were better defensively, but when you shoot 72 percent it really covers up for a lot of things and makes for a good evening for us.”
Sebastian Koch led the way with 22 points, as he and Tanner Samson ended the night with five three-pointers apiece. Samson scored 17 points in the win and propelled the Phoenix to an early lead in the game after connecting on four triples in the game’s first six minutes.
Ryley Beaumont and Lucas Troutman both scored 18 points in the victory, while rookie Christian Hairston ended the night with 10 points to round out five Phoenix players in double figures.
Elon outscored W&L 56-18 in the paint and capitalized off 14 of the Generals’ turnovers with 25 points.
The Phoenix also won the battle on the glass, 37-16, as Koch and Hairston both tied for a game-high with six boards.
Samson pushed the Phoenix out to a big lead early after beginning the game 5-of-5 from the field, including 4-of-4 from beyond the arc, to make it a 19-4 game.
Elon carried a 57-32 lead into the locker room at intermission, shooting a blistering 68 percent (23-of-34) from the field, including 57 percent (8-of-14) from three-point land.
Troutman helped the Phoenix open up a 30-point lead in the early stages of the second half after knocking down a pair from the charity stripe to make it a 65-35 game. Elon led by as many as 50 points in the second session.
Elon hits the road for a Sunday evening game in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., versus Marist. Tip is set for 5 p.m.
Furman 66, Suwanee 49
GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Sophomore Larry Wideman scored a career-high 25 points, including 18 in the second half, to lead Furman to a 66-49 victory over NCAA Division III Sewanee in the Paladins’ season opener Friday night on YP Court at Timmons Arena.
The Paladins overcame a slow start by shooting 46.4% from the field in the second half and outscored the Tigers by 13 points at the foul line to open the head coach Niko Medved era with a victory.
Wideman, a native of Loris, S.C., connected on 7-of-15 shots, including 3-of-6 from behind the arc, and made good on 8-of-10 trips to the charity stripe to propel the Paladins to their 35th consecutive victory over a non-NCAA Division I opponent. Fellow sophomore Stephen Croone added 10 points, seven boards and four steals while directing a Furman offense that committed just 10 turnovers on the night.
Furman trailed early but held Sewanee without a field goal over the final seven minutes of the first half while using a 10-2 run to turn a 19-15 deficit into a 25-21 lead at the break.
The Tigers trimmed the Paladin lead to a pair on three occasions in the opening minutes of the second half before Furman used a 19-0 run to put the game out of reach. Wideman ignited the run with a tip-in off of his own miss and followed with back-to-back treys to up the margin to 37-27 with 15:18 to play. Croone drained a pair of free throws and Wideman knocked down another jump shot before Croone stole the ball at the top of the key and finished on the other end with a reverse jam.
Kris Acox claimed Furman’s second straight steal to set up another Wideman three-pointer and Kendrec Ferrara capped the outburst with an offensive rebound and stick back to give the Paladins a 48-27 cushion with 11:48 to play.
After shooting just 25.9 percent in the first half, Furman connected on 13-of-28 second half shots to finish at 36.4 percent for the night. The Paladins managed a commanding 46-29 rebounding edge, outscored Sewanee 24-8 in the paint and 18-5 in points off turnovers. Furman made 21-of-28 free throw attempts while the Tigers made just 8-of-11 at the foul line.
Jorden Williams paced the Tigers with 17 points and Keshonn Carter added 12 points and eight rebounds.
Furman continues its season-opening homestand on Tuesday night when it hosts Big South Conference member Gardner-Webb at Timmons Arena. Tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m.
Georgia Southern 110, Columbia International 74
STATESBORO, Ga. - Tre Bussey and Jelani Hewitt both scored over 20 points each as the Georgia Southern Eagles raced to a 110-74 season-opening win over the Columbia International Rams on Friday night at Hanner Fieldhouse.
The 100-point night was the first since Nov. 18, 2010 and the 102nd in program history. The 61 first-half points were more than the Eagles' total team score in half of the 2012-13 season.
“We got the ball moving well in the first five minutes and that got our offense going,” said Head Coach Mark Byington. “The offense had some slumps, but overall we played very well. I told the team to make this performance their worst of the season and get better every time they take the floor.”
Georgia Southern (1-0) had six players in double figures for the first time since Dec. 4, 2010. Hewitt paced the Eagles with 25 points and four assists, while Tre Bussey made six of 11 free throws and finished with 20 points. Curtis Diamond and Marvin Baynham totaled 16 points each, a new career-high for Baynham. Kyle Doyle posted a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds, while Angel Matias had a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds.
Ben Johnson paced Columbia International (2-0) with 20 points and six boards. Ryan Gibson added 17 points and Zach Durkee had 14 points on seven of nine shooting.
The Rams do not take an official loss with the game credited as an exhibition for the visitors.
GSU broke open a two-point advantage early in the first half and scored nine unanswered points to lead 18-7 with 15:21 to play. The Eagles went on an 11-0 run with 13 minutes to go and took a 36-15 lead on a pair of Kyle Doyle free throws. GSU finished the half on a 13-1 that encompassed nearly four minutes of play.
The Eagles opened the second half on a 14-3 run which was powered by five points from Marvin Baynham. GSU led 90-53 midway through the second period after Tre Bussey drained a layup and a foul shot. The Eagles hit 100 points with 6:51 remaining on a Marvin Bayhnam free throw. GSU closed the game on a 9-7 run over the final six minutes to preserve the win.
The men's basketball team returns to the court Monday night in Coral Gables, Fla. The Eagles square off with defending ACC regular season champions, Miami on ESPN3. Tip-off is set for 7 pm.
Georgia 72, Wofford 52
ATHENS, Ga. – In the season opener for the Wofford College men’s basketball team, the University of Georgia won 72-52 at Stegeman Coliseum. The Bulldogs used a 14-0 run to end the second half to build a 19 point lead that the Terriers could not overcome.
Wofford is 0-1 and Georgia is 1-0 to open the season. The Terriers were led by Spencer Collins with 11 points. Lee Skinner had ten points and a team-high nine rebounds. The Bulldogs had 12 points by Nemanja Djurisic and eleven points from Donte Williams.
The Terriers opened the scoring with a three pointer by John Swinton. After the score was tied at five, Spence Collins made a three for an 8-5 lead after three minutes of play. Georgia scored the next five points to tie the game at ten at the seven minute mark. With the game tied at twelve, the Bulldogs added four points for a 16-12 lead before a jumper by Lee Skinner cut the score to two points with eight minutes remaining in the first half.
A shot by Justin Gordon made it a 20-18 game, but the Bulldogs scored the next five points for a 25-18 advantage with 5:43 left in the first half. C.J. Neumann added a bucket for the Terriers, but Georgia had a 27-20 lead at the four minute mark. The Bulldogs scored the next nine points for a 36-20 advantage with 1:27 remaining. J.J. Frazier added a three for Georgia as they took a 39-20 lead at the break.
Wofford ended the run with a jumper by Spencer Collins to start the second half. However the Bulldogs would push the lead to 50-25 at the 14:46 mark. Karl Cochran would score four of the next five points for the Terriers to cut the score to 50-30 after eight minutes of action. With 7:08 remaining in the game, the Bulldogs had a 55-35 lead before two free throws by Spencer Collins.
The Terriers cut the score to 60-44 after two free throws by Lee Skinner with 4:36 on the clock. A Justin Gordon jumper made it a 62-48 game before Taylor Echols hit a three for the Bulldogs and a 65-48 lead at the 3:44 mark. Georgia pulled away in the final minutes for the 72-52 final score.
Wofford shot 38.0 percent from the floor while Georgia shot 43.9 percent overall. The Terriers were 2-of-14 from with three, while the Bulldogs were 2-of-11 from behind the arc. Georgia was 20-of-29 from the line while Wofford was 12-of-18 on free throws. The Bulldogs had a 49 to 24 lead on the glass. Wofford had ten turnovers on the night, while Georgia had nine.
Wofford will open the home slate on Monday night at 7:00 p.m. against Emory and Henry in Benjamin Johnson Arena.
VMI 82, The Citadel 71
LEXINGTON, Va. – QJ Peterson netted 25 points in his VMI debut and Rodney Glascow added 20 as the Keydets won the opening round of the All-Military Classic 82-71 over The Citadel at Cameron Hall on Friday evening. The Keydets advance to the championship game to meet Air Force, while Army and The Citadel meet in the 6 p.m. consolation game on Saturday evening.
Peterson converted 9-of-18 from the floor, including a pair from 3-point range, to key a second half charge by the Keydets. Meanwhile, Glascow was successful on 7-of-16 field goals, hitting four from beyond the arc, and grabbed eight rebounds. VMI also got solid individual efforts from Jordan Weethee (10 points, 11 rebounds) and D.J. Covington (10 points).
The host Keydets (1-0) found their range in the second half, hitting 17-of-41 (41.5%) from the floor, which led to a 32-of-80 (40%) performance. The biggest difference in the two halves was their ability to hit timely 3-pointers, draining five from long distance after the intermission.
Freshman Brian White opened his collegiate career with 21 points, hitting 10-of-18 from the floor, to lead all Citadel scorers. He was joined in double figures by Matt Van Scyoc, who recorded his first career double-double (16 points, 11 rebounds), Marshall Harris III (11 points) and Ashton Moore (10 points).
The Citadel (0-1) crashed the boards for 53 rebounds, the most since a 52-rebound effort against Chowan on Dec. 31, 2010. Along with Van Scyoc's 11 boards, the Dogs got nine rebounds from White and six from fellow newcomer Nate Bowser.
With the two teams separated by one point at the intermission, The Citadel stretched the lead to five following a White jumper and two free throws by Van Scyoc to open the second half. VMI followed with four unanswered points, trimming the lead to 42-41, but a series of baskets by Van Scyoc and White again provided the five-point cushion.
The major turning point of the game came at the 12:30 mark when VMI's Julian Eleby scored on a layup to pull the Keydets within three points of the lead, 50-47. With the Bulldogs unable to convert on the offensive end, VMI took advantage of a foul by Bowser to trim the deficit to one. A quick steal by Brian Brown, just before midcourt, resulted in Jarid Watson heading to the line for a pair of free throws.
After Watson gave VMI its first lead, 51-50, since the early stages of the opening half, the Keydets put together a 27-10 run over the next 6:53 of the contest. In that span, VMI converted five 3-pointers including three from Glascow and two off the hand of Peterson.
The Citadel made one final attempt to pull the game back to single digits following a pair of Van Scyoc free throws and a Dylen Setzekorn trey that made for a 78-65 contest, but it was not enough as `VMI advances to its second All-Military Classic finals on Saturday evening at 8:30 p.m.
White exploded in the first half, knocking down 6-of-10 from the field to go along with seven rebounds, leading all scorers. He teamed with Moore and Van Scyoc, who were responsible for eight points apiece, to guide The Citadel to 14-of-35 (40%) shooting. Among those 14 made field goals included four from 3-point range, two of which came off the hand of Van Scyoc.
VMI had a well-balanced scoring attack that included Covington (eight), Glascow (seven), Peterson (seven) and Weethee (six). The Keydets, who converted 15-of-39 (38.5%) from the floor, struggled to find their range from beyond the arc, knocking down just 3-of-16 (18.8%) attempts.
With the two teams deadlocked at nine-all just 4:24 into the contest, an old-fashioned three-point play by White gave The Citadel a 12-9 lead. Solid defense and the sharpshooting of Van Scyoc allowed the Cadets to stretch that advantage to nine, 18-9, in less than one minute.
The Bulldogs offense continued to find ways to score, taking advantage of buckets by Raemond Robinson and White to provide the first double-digit lead of the game, 24-13. A missed jumper by Brown capped off a 17-4 run by The Citadel as the Dogs forged ahead by 13 following a jumper by Moore.
Trailing 26-13 coming out of a quick breather, VMI used five points from Glascow to spark an 8-0 run and move back within five. The Citadel answered by outscoring VMI 7-2 over the next 3:14 of the game to move the lead back to double figures, 33-23.
VMI closed out the half on a 14-5 run energized by four points apiece from Watson and Peterson as it trailed 38-37 heading into the half.
The Citadel returns to action on Saturday evening against Army in the consolation game of the All-Military Classic. It marks the first time that the two teams have squared off since the 2010 All-Military Classic consolation game in Colorado Springs, Colo. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. and the game can be seen on ESPN3.
NC State 98, Appalachian State 77
RALEIGH, N.C. – An early second-half run was too much for Appalachian State University men’s basketball to overcome in a 98-77 loss at NC State in the 2013-14 season opener on Friday night at PNC Arena in the Global Sports Shootout.
The Mountaineers (0-1) hung tough with the Wolfpack (1-0) throughout the first half and trailed by just three points (43-30) after Chris Burgess opened the second half with a jumper, but NC State mounted a 21-4 run to take control and never looked back.
In a back-and-forth first half, Appalachian set the tone early when Tab Hamilton nailed a three-pointer on the team’s opening possession. The Wolfpack responded with a pair of quick buckets, but two more shots from Hamilton put the Mountaineers up 7-4 with 16:27 to go on the half.
After NC State regained the lead on Tyler Lewis’ fast-break layup just 37 seconds later, the Wolfpack was able to seize the momentum and build its lead to as many as 10 points (34-24) with just over five minutes remaining in the opening period. The Mountaineers did not back down, however, as the Apps chipped away at the lead and trailed by just five points (43-38) when Tevin Baskin nailed a three pointer at the buzzer to end the half.
After Burgess pulled Appalachian within three points on the opening possession of the second half, NC State came alive and reeled off a 21-4 run over the next 5:14 to grab its first 20-point lead of the day (64-44). It would be all Wolfpack from there as the Mountaineers never got closer than 15 points (89-74) and trailed by as many as 27 (74-47) in the second half.
Baskin led the Mountaineers with a career-high 24 points on 8-of-12 shooting, grabbed six rebounds and notched four steals. Hamilton and Frank Eaves each tallied double-digit point totals with 11 and 12, respectively. Tommy Spagnolo fell just shy of a double-double with eight points 10 rebounds and three blocks, all of which were career highs.
T.J. Warren led the Wolfpack with 27 points while Desmond Lee scored 24. Tyler Lewis poured in 15 and dished out six assists and Anthony Barber scored 13 off the bench. Warren finished as NC State’s leading rebounder with eight boards.
The Mountaineers shot 49.1 percent (28-of-47) from the floor but the Wolfpack torched the nets to the tune of 61.9 percent (39-of-63) including 5-of-11 from long range. NC State also finished with a 32-29 edge in rebounds and forced 15 Appalachian turnovers.
Appalachian State returns to action when it plays host to Campbell at 8 p.m. on Tuesday in the 2013-14 home opener and the second game of four in the Global Sports Shootout.
Duke 111, Davidson 77
DURHAM, N.C. – In addition to four players hitting the 20-point plateau, nationally-ranked Duke shot 70.4 percent overall and 61.9 percent from long range to defeat Davidson, 111-77, in non-conference men's basketball action Friday evening at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Despite the setback, De'Mon Brooks paced the Wildcats with a game-high 24 points on 7-of-9 shooting, including a 10-of-12 performance at the charity stripe. Fellow senior Tom Droney also contributed double figures with a career-high 16 points.
Jabari Parker and Rodney Hood led Duke (1-0) with 22 points each, while combining to go 17-of-20 from field and making all five of their attempts from long range. Quinn Cook finished with 21 points to go along with eight assists and Rasheed Sulaimon came off the bench to score 20.
Duke, which hit eight of its 13 treys in the first half, used a 22-6 run midway through opening period to break open a four-point contest before taking a 59-39 lead into the break.
After 3-pointers from Brian Sullivan and Jack Gibbs cut the Davidson (0-1) deficit to 17 in consecutive trips, the Blue Devils used another lengthy spurt to stretch their lead to as many as 37.
Davidson shot 41.9 percent and made just 3 of its 21 attempts from behind the 3-point line.
The Wildcats, who led the nation in free-throw percentage last season, finished 22-of-25 (.880) from the line.
Davidson held a 31-27 advantage on the glass, including 13 offensive rebounds, that led to 14 second-chance points.