Georgia Southern 73, Kennesaw State 55

STATESBORO, GA.  – Georgia Southern Men’s Basketball weathered a second half run and posted a 73-55 win over Kennesaw State at Hanner Fieldhouse on Wednesday night. The Eagles posted an 18-3 run down the stretch to close out the win behind 16 points from Tre Bussey.

“This is three games in a row that we came out to play,” said Head Coach Mark Byington. “The difference tonight was that we withstood some adversity and fought back even when Kennesaw State made some tough shots. Now we’ve got another big contest to get ready for on Friday night up in Atlanta.” 

Bussey led the Eagles on 7-of-14 shooting from the field and led all scorers as the Eagles improve to 6-6 on the year.

Four Eagles finished the night in double figures with Jelani Hewitt adding 15 while Angel Matias scored 14 points with four rebounds. Brian Holmes went 6-for-6 at the stripe for 11 points to go with his five assists.

Kyle Doyle earned top rebounding honors with seven boards to go with eight points.

The trio of Nate Rucker, Orlando Coleman and Delbert Love scored 10 points each to lead the Owls who fall to 2-9 on the season.

Kennesaw started the game on the schneid, missing their first 11 shots while the Eagles amassed a 9-0 lead in the first six minutes of the game. Southern led by as many as 13 with five minutes left in the first half, but went scorless over the final 4:26 in the first half to lead by four at the break.

At halftime Georgia Southern fans threw teddy bears on the court to donate to the Boys and Girls Club of Bulloch County.

The visitors tied the game on the first possession of the second half at 34-34, but the Eagles answered immediately, extending the lead back to nine points less than five minutes into the second stanza.

The Owls again sliced the Eagle lead to three points with 11:52 left in the game, but a 18-3 Georgia Southern run gave the Eagles their biggest lead of the night of 20 points with 3:58 left in the contest.

UNCG 78, James Madison 65

GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNCG men’s basketball team rallied from a six-point halftime deficit with a dominating second half performance as the Spartans pulled away from James Madison 78-65 Wednesday night at the Greensboro Coliseum. The Spartans out-scored the Dukes 42-23 in the second half with four different players scoring in double figures in one of the best all-around performances of the season.

“We really challenged our guys at halftime to get down and guard,” head coach Wes Miller said. “We came out and were down in the stance, guys were playing together, doing their job and that really fueled us getting open opportunities in transition. We just need to keep coming to practice everyday with the right attitude and mindset. The last two days of practice were the best back-to-back practices we have had all year and that carried effort over into the game.”

The Spartans’ second half performance was on both ends of the floor. They shot 55.6 percent (15-of-27) from the field and hit 72.7 percent (8-of-11) from three-point land in the second 20 minutes as five different players fired from beyond the arc. Defensively, the Spartans turned in their top performance of the season, limiting James Madison to just 32 percent (8-of-25) shooting from the field and only 9.1 percent (1-of-11) from three-point land in the second half.

Junior Nicholas Paulos led the Spartans to victory with a team-high 21 points, despite fouling out after 31 minutes. Paulos did his damage against a variety of JMU zone defenses, hitting 7-of-11 from three-point land, while also grabbing five rebounds.

Junior forward Kyle Cain continued his dominant play finishing with 20 points, seven rebounds and three assists in 34 minutes of action. Cain connected on 7-of-11 from the field, including a three-pointer, while also hitting 5-of-6 from the free throw line.

Redshirt freshman center R.J. White scored a career-high 12 points and grabbed six rebounds off the bench as he was 6-of-8 shooting form the field in just 14 minutes of action. Sophomore forward Kayel Locke rounded out the Spartans in double figures with 11 points, while freshman guard Tevon Saddler chipped in seven points, five assists and four rebounds.

Ron Curry, who scored a game-high 23 points on 6-of-9 from the field and 8-of-11 from the free throw line, led James Madison. The Dukes’ leading scorer, Charles Cooke, was held to just nine points on 2-of-7 shooting. The Spartans limited him to only two points in the second half as freshman guard Diante Baldwin came off the bench to perform a spectacular defensive effort on Cooke.

The Spartans got off to a quick start as Paulos opened the game with back-to-back three-pointers. Both teams started to settle in as James Madison used different zone looks to slow down the Spartans. The Dukes held a 30-26 lead after Ivan Lukic hit a three-pointer from the corner to give a two-possession advantage.

UNCG posted a quick 6-1 run to take the lead back at 32-31 as White scored on an offensive rebound put-back, while Locke scored four points in the run, including a baseline drive to put UNCG in front. James Madison answered with six straight points and closed the half on an 11-4 run to take a 42-36 lead into the locker room.

UNCG connected on 46.2 percent (12-of-26) from the field and just 3-of-8 (37.5 percent) from long range in the opening half. The Spartans also only committed two turnovers in the first 20 minutes of action, but were out-rebounded by a 14-11 margin. Cain led the Spartans with 12 points in the half while Paulos added nine points on 3-of-6 shooting from distance. James Madison was strong offensively in the first half hitting 56.5 percent (13-of-23) in the half and 44.4 percent (4-of-9) from long range. Curry led the Dukes with 12 points in the first half while Cooke chipped in seven points.

Taylor Kessick opened the second half with a jumper on the baseline to give James Madison its largest lead of the night at 44-36. The Spartans quickly responded though, posting a 16-4 run to take the lead back for good at 52-48. UNCG did most of its damage in the run from beyond the arc, hitting four three-pointers in the spurt including consecutive three-pointers by Locke, Cain and freshman Tyrone Outlaw.

James Madison hung around in the next five minutes as UNCG held a 62-59 lead with 9:01 remaining in the game. The Spartans were able to slam the door shut on the victory over the ensuing seven minutes, posting a 13-4 run to take a 75-63 lead that was never put into jeopardy in the final two minutes.

The Spartans got some breathing room as Locke scored in the paint before Baldwin came up with a big basket with a drive down the lane for a seven-point land. UNCG extended its lead to double figures as Paulos hit two more three-pointers before Saddler ended any doubt with 2:08 remaining. The Spartans were down to their final seconds of the shot clock before he launched a deep three-pointer at the top of the key that splashed down for his first career three-pointer and a 12-point lead.

The Spartans finished the game with a season-low seven turnovers in the victory while also dishing out 18 assists. UNCG also won the rebounding effort with a 30-28 edge, marking the ninth time in 12 games the Spartans have won or tied the battle of the boards. 

Western Carolina 92, Charleston Southern 84

CULLOWHEE, N.C. – The Western Carolina men’s basketball team set the single-game school record with 20 made 3-point field goals – 10 from senior guard Tom Tankelewicz tying the individual single-game mark – to propel the Catamounts past Charleston Southern 92-84 Wednesday night in the Ramsey Center in nonconference action.

As a team WCU went 20-of-35 from behind the arc for 57 percent.  Sixty of the team’s 92 points, came from behind the 3-point line as WCU was 29-of-65 from the field and 14-of-18 from the free throw line.

Individually, Tankelewicz went 10-of-18 from long range, including several shots from beyond 25 feet well behind the NBA 3-point line, for a career-high 30 points.  The senior guard, who transferred from Charleston Southern following the 2009-10 season, did not attempt a field goal from inside the arc, nor did he attempt a free throw in the game as he accounted for 15 points on five made threes in each half.

The first half was a back-and-forth affair that saw the Buccaneers take a 12-5 lead just over three minutes into play.  Three-minutes later the Catamounts took their first lead of the game, 16-12, following an 11-0 run.  Brandon Boggs finished the game with 22 points, 14 of which came in the first half on 5-of-6 shooting including four 3-pointers, had two shots from behind the arc during the run.

CSU pulled even at 20 with 11:12 left in the half, and with the game still tied four minutes later, this time at 26, WCU took control with a 16-8 run sparked by Boggs’ fourth three of the half and a high flying dunk off an alley-oop pass from Trey Sumler, who would finished the game with a team-high seven assists.  By the time the Catamount run concluded following a three-point play from Mike Brown, WCU led 42-34 with less than two and a half minutes to play in the half.  After CSU made a three with 1:12 to play, Tankelewicz answered with a trey to keep the lead at eight points, 42-37.  He answered again for the Catamounts following another Buccaneer triple with 33 seconds to play as the senior knocked down a corner three in front of the CSU bench with seven seconds before the buzzer to give WCU a 48-40 lead at the break.

The Catamounts shot a sizzling 60 percent in the half, 18-of-30, including 11 made threes on 17 attempts.  Meanwhile, the Buccaneers went 13-of-30 for 43 percent converting only six of their 16 attempts from behind the arc for 38 percent.  CSU did go 8-of-9 from the free throw line, while WCU made its only shot from the charity stripe in the first 20 minutes.

The Purple & Gold came out and pushed the lead to nine points, 51-42, on Boggs’ final three of the game two minutes into the half only to see the Charleston Southern take a one point lead, 57-56, following a 15-5 run capped off by an Arlon Harper old fashion three-point play with 13:21 showing on the clock.

After six lead changes and with the game tied 65, WCU got a three from Tankelewicz to regain a brief lead only to see CSU knot the game back up for the seventh time, this time at 71, two minutes later.  The Catamounts went on to outscored the Buccaneers 21-13 over the final four and a half minutes to pick up the 92-84 win.  Tankelewicz, again was responsible for answering the call as he broke the tie with three to give WCU a comfortable seven point lead, 84-77, with a minute and a half to play as he tied WCU single-game record with the basket.

WCU cooled off to shoot 48 percent overall including its 57 percent mark from behind the arc.  CSU ended with a 43 percent field goal percentage, a 36 percent 3-point field goal percentage and a 73 percent free throw percentage.  The Buccaneers were 19-of-26 from the line compared to WCU’s 14-of-18 for 78 percent.

Led by seven rebounds each from Tawaski King and Trey Sumler and six rebounds from Josh Mendenhall, the Catamounts held a 42-34 advantage on the boards.  WCU ended the game with 21 assists -- its highest mark of the season -- on 29 made baskets compared to just 15 assists for CSU.

Trailing Tankelewicz and Boggs, Sumler chipped in 18 points on an efficient 5-of-9 shooting performance including two made threes and a perfect 6-of-6 shooting from the free throw line.  He is the second Catamount in as many games to go 6-of-6 from the free throw line as King accomplished the feat Monday at Cleveland State.

Harper paced the Buccaneers with 26 points on 9-of-20 shooting from the floor, 4-of-10 from thee and 4-of-5 from the free throw line. Matt Kennedy added 18 points, and Will Saunders chipped in 12 points.  Kennedy was also 6-for-6 from the line.  Nimley had a game-high eight assists directing the Charleston Southern offense.

With the win, WCU halts a three-game losing streak and improves to 6-7 overall remaining unbeaten in the friendly confines of the Ramsey Center in the opening stages of 2013-14, while CSU slips to 3-6 on the season.

 
The Citadel 79, Brevard 68

CHARLESTON, S.C. – Marshall Harris III scored a game-high 22 points and teammate Matt Van Scyoc added 21 as The Citadel topped Brevard 79-68 at McAlister Field House on Wednesday evening. They became the second set of Citadel teammates, joining Van Scyoc and Brian White (Army, Nov. 9), to top 20 points each in a single game this season.

Harris finished 5-of-7 from the floor was a perfect 11-of-11 from the free throw line to establish his career-high. The junior guard also dished out a game-high four assists. Van Scyoc came through with a 5-of-12 performance, knocking down 3-of-8 from beyond the arc and was successful on all eight free throw attempts.

White was also instrumental in The Citadel offense, finishing with 13 points and 11 rebounds for the third double-double of his young career. The freshman forward gave the Bulldogs a 35-25 edge on the glass due in large part to 10 defensive boards.

The Cadets (4-8) ended their four-game losing streak by hitting 21-of-46 (45.7%) from the field and 31-of-33 from the charity stripe. It marks the most free throws made by a Citadel unit since hitting 31 against Colgate on Dec. 29, 2000.

The Citadel turned a six-point lead at the intermission into a 43-34 advantage following a Van Scyoc trey at the 17:09 mark of the second half.

A series of buckets by Harris and C.J. Bray allowed the Dogs to maintain the nine-point cushion, but it was a pair of free throws by Trevon Shaw and a 3-pointer off the hand of Dominique Pickett that pulled Brevard (2-7) within four, 47-43, with 13:17 left on the clock.

Five unanswered points, including a 3-pointer by Harris at the 11:37 mark, stretched The Citadel advantage back to nine, but Brevard's Miles Leathers singlehandedly scored the next six straight points to draw the Tornados within 52-49.

Solid play on the defensive end combined with five points from White and three by Van Scyoc allowed The Citadel to assume its first double figure lead of the contest, 62-51, with 7:07 left in the second half.

Buckets by Van Scyoc and Warren Sledge kept the lead in double figures, 66-56, with just under four minutes remaining. Despite not hitting a field goal The Citadel converted 13-of-14 free throws, including eight by Harris, to complete the 79-68 victory.

Brevard saw four players top double figures on the night including 16 points apiece by Darius Moose, Shaw and Pickett. That trio combined to hit five field goals each and was a collective 11-of-15 (73.3%) from the free throw line. Leathers capped off the game by hitting 5-of-12 from the field and 3-of-5 at the charity stripe.

The Tornados hit better than 40 percent in each half and closed the game hitting 22-of-50 (44%) from the field. They became just the third Citadel opponent this season, alongside Towson and West Alabama, to hit at least 10 3-pointers as a unit (10-26).

Led by the tandem of Van Scyoc (11 points) and White (8) the Bulldogs held a six-point advantage at the intermission. The Citadel offense closed the half by hitting 12-of-23 (52.2%) from the floor to go along with a perfect 8-of-8 outing from the free throw line.

Defensively the Cadets limited Brevard to 43.5% (10-23) from the floor with high honors going to Shaw (9 points). The biggest lift for the Tornados came from beyond the arc where they knocked down 5-of-13 (38.5%), led by Shaw's 3-of-3 performance.

The two teams battled to an 11-11 tie following a jumper by Bray at the 14:12 mark as neither offense was able to establish itself in the early going.

Brevard answered with the next four points, but White rallied the Bulldogs with four straight points to knot the score at 15-15.

The third tie of the opening half, 20-20, was quickly broken by a pair of Van Scyoc free throws at the 6:54 mark.

Less than a minute later the sophomore drove past the Tornados defense for the 501st point of his career which tied him alongside Virgil Stevens for the third-fastest player since 1972-73 to score at 500 career points. Leading 24-23, The Citadel used five points by Ashton Moore to close out the opening half on an 11-6 run and take a six-point lead into the locker room.

 

Presbyterian 74, Appalachian State 69

CLINTON, S.C. – Tab Hamilton scored a career-high 33 points, but Appalachian State University men’s basketball was unable to hold on to a double-digit lead in a 74-69 loss at Presbyterian on Wednesday at the Templeton Center.

The Mountaineers (2-8) looked as if they may rout the Blue Hose (4-9) with a strong start, but a long scoring slump midway through the first half was enough for Presbyterian to sieze momentum and battle back en route to the win.

Appalachian jumped out to a 10-0 lead less than three minutes into the ballgame as back-to-back threes from Hamilton and Mike Neal got the scoring started and Tevin Baskin capped off the run with a thunderous fastbreak dunk to get the Mountaineers started on the right track.

After surrendering Presbyterian’s first bucket of the game with 17:43 remaining in the first, the Apps scored four-straight points to push their lead to 12 (14-2), but the Blue Hose rallied and reeled off a 20-4 run to grab a 22-18 lead with 11:49 on the clock. During the run, the Mountaineers were held scoreless for just over five and a half minutes (14:44-9:10), which allowed Presbyterian to climb out of the early hole.

The Blue Hose pushed the lead to six points (36-30) with just over three minutes left in the first half, but Appalachian scroed seven of the final 10 points of the half and trailed just 39-37 at the break.

Appalachian seemed to regain momentum early in the second half when Hamilton connected from long range to give the Mountaineers a 49-47 lead with 14:25 left to play, but the lead was short-lived as the Blue Hose used a 10-1 run over the next four-plus minutes to push their lead to 57-50 and never trailed the rest of the way, leading by as many as eight points (62-54) in the final five minutes.

The Mountaineers never came within five points over the final 11 and a half minutes of play and shot just 30.6 percent (11-of-36) from the floor in the second half while Presbyterian connected on 50.0 percent (11-of-22) of its shots over the final 20 minutes.

Hamilton scored 21 of his points from beyond the arc as he went 7-of-13 from long range while Neal added 12 points and six assists and Chris Burgess added 10 points and six assists of his own. Michael Obacha led the Mountaineers on the boards with 14 rebounds, his second-straight game with double-digit rebounds.

William Truss paced the Blue Hose with 25 points on 10-of-12 shooting while Jordan Downing poured in 23 and Danny Herrera added 10. Truss also pulled down a team-best seven rebounds and blocked four shots.

On the night, Appalachian shot 37.1 percent (23-of-62) and was 14-of-18 from the charity stripe while Presbyterian shot 49.0 percent (24-of-49) and made 20-of-25 free throws. The Mountaineers finished with a 36-32 edge in rebounds but turned the ball over 15 times. 

UAB 67, Chattanooga 52

BIRMINGHAM, Ala.---The Chattanooga Mocs (4-8) competed for 40 minutes against a hot UAB (9-2) squad losing 67-52 in Bartow Arena Wednesday night. The undermanned Mocs playing without leading scorer Z. Mason kept it close for a majority of both halves before succumbing to one of Conference USA’s favorites.

“We played one of our better games tonight,” Head Coach Will Wade noted. “I was proud of our guys because we competed for 40 minutes for the first time in a while. We competed hard and played well. 

“It is certainly something we can build on,” he continued. “UAB is a tremendous team with unbelievable athletes. Our guys competed and that’s all we can ask.”

It was a nip-and-tuck affair early. Eric Robertson kept the pendulum swinging with a three-pointer at 9:21 for a 19-17 Mocs lead. Jordan Swing immediately answered for the Blazers with a three of his own to put his team back up 20-19.

Chattanooga scored six points on back-to-back possessions. Lance Stokes turned in the traditional three-point play with a power post move drawing a foul from Fahro Alihodzic. Greg Pryor drained a trey 34 seconds later putting the Mocs up 25-20 with 7:48 remaining in the opening frame.

It was all UAB from there. Chad Frazier’s layup at 4:57 was the eighth, and final, lead change of the game. The Blazers ended the first half on a 15-2 run for a 35-27 halftime lead.

UAB got off to a fast start after the break. Its lead swelled to 13, 46-36, on two Alihodzic free tosses at 13:39. The Mocs would not break.

Back-to-back baskets by Robertson jump-started an 11-2 run. Consecutive threes from Alex Bran capped it to cut the margin to four, 48-44, with 11:14 remaining. But it was as close as it would get.

It was a nine-point game with 3:24 to go after a Gee McGhee free throw. The Blazers scored nine unanswered points before Martynas Bareika drained a trey for the final score of 67-52.

Chattanooga opened the game making four of its first eight three-point attempts. It went four of 22 from beyond the arc the rest of the way.

UAB was dominant on the glass. It out-boarded the Mocs 46-30. It had a 32-13 advantage on points in the paint utilizing a decided size advantage.