Men's Basketball Southern Conference

Thursday's Men's Basketball Roundup

Georgia Southern 78, The Citadel 57

CHARLESTON, S.C. - Georgia Southern Men's Basketball atoned for a January 19th loss to The Citadel with a 78-57 win over the Bulldogs inside McAlister Field House. The Eagles led by as many as 32 points in the second half, before claiming a 21-point victory.

Georgia Southern (11-15, 5-8 SoCon) picked up the win behind 20 points from Cleon Roberts. The freshman matched his career-high on 4-of-6 from long-range. Eric Ferguson came off the bench to score 14 points and had three shots go in from beyond the arc as the team shot 55 percent from beyond the arc, draining a season-high 12 three-pointers.

Brian Holmes scored 11 points with five assists in his first career start. He also grabbed five boards in the game. C.J. Reed saw his string of consecutive games with 19-or-more points scored come to an end as the senior posted 10 points. He needs 12 points to reach the 2,000 career point milestone.

The Citadel (6-18, 3-11 SoCon) was led by 19 points and eight rebounds from P.J. Horgan. Marshall Harris III scored 10 points. Mike Groselle had his streak of seven-straight games in double-figures snapped as the senior was held to nine points.

Georgia Southern opened the game with full court pressure, forcing seven first half turnover. The Eagles also ran the break against the Bulldogs, scoring 47 points in the first half, the second-highest total of the year, second only to 48 against Brewton Parker in December.

GSU led 47-29 at the break behind 17 first half points by Roberts. It was the third time this season that an Eagle had scored 17 points in a half. He was 3-of-4 from downtown in the first half as the Eagles made 7-of-11 from the bonusphere in the first half.

Roberts came out and made his first basket of the second half, a three-pointer, to match his career-high set nearly two months ago at Virginia Tech. Ferguson extended the lead to 28 points with 15:06 remaining. He opened the game going a perfect 3-for-3 from the field with all three baskets from beyond the arc. On the next possession he added a pair of free throws to put GSU up by 30 (63-33) with 14:05 left on the clock. The Eagles' largest lead of the game was 32 points with 12:32 left in the game.

The Citadel, however, answered and cut the lead back to 29 points with 12:05 left on the clock. Another three-pointer with 6:32 left saw the lead fall to 24 as the Bulldog pressure slowed the Eagle scoring.

Holmes reached double-figures with 5:13 remaining when his three-pointer gave the junior 11 points and the Eagles a 75-48 lead. Freshman Cole Rives drained his first career three-point basket with 1:20 left en route to a career-high three points on the night.


Elon 61, Appalachian State 58

ELON, N.C. - Clutch free throws in crunch time from Sebastian Koch and a gutsy defensive effort down the stretch lifted the Elon University men's basketball team to a thrilling 61-58 comeback win over Appalachian State on Thursday night, Feb. 14, inside a raucous Alumni Gym.

At the free throw line with 4.5 seconds remaining and with Elon (17-8, 10-3 Southern Conference) trailing, Koch knocked down both attempts in a 1-and-1 situation to give the Phoenix a 59-58 edge.

On the ensuing inbound, ASU's Nathan Healy threw the ball away on a deep pass just beyond midcourt to give Elon possession back with 4.5 seconds still on the clock. Jack Isenbarger extended Elon's lead with the Mountaineers in a must-foul situation, hitting two from the stripe to put Elon ahead by three points.

Mike Neal missed a heave from half court for ASU as time expired, giving Elon, who trailed by eight points with less than five minutes to play, its ninth win in its last ten games. Elon's 17 wins are the most since the 1989-90 season, as the Phoenix extends its lead in the SoCon North Division.

Ryley Beaumont had an outstanding performance for the Phoenix for the second time this season against ASU, as the Millersville, Md., native finished with 22 points and a career-high 13 boards for his third double-double of the season (fourth career). Beaumont poured in a career-high 26 points versus the Mountaineers earlier this season on Jan. 12.

Isenbarger ended the night with 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field and a perfect 5-for-5 clip at the free-throw line. Koch was the third player in double figures, ending the game with 11 points, including his two clutch free throws in the final seconds.

Kevin Blake and Egheosa Edomwonyi both earned the start for the Phoenix with Lucas Troutman and Tanner Samson out and played key minutes in the win. The start was the first-career for Blake, while Edomwonyi started for the third time in his career and first since Jan. 14, 2012.

Isenbarger helped Elon tie the game at 23-all and force an ASU timeout with 3:10 to play in the first frame after a scoring on a Beaumont dish off a Mountaineers turnover near midcourt.

The maroon and gold closed the first period with momentum to carry a 31-26 lead into intermission. Isenbarger and Beaumont led all players with 12 and 8 points, respectively, in the opening frame, as the Phoenix shot 40 percent as a team.

ASU began the second session on a 9-2 run, as a three by Jamaal Trice with less than 16 minutes to play gave the Mountaineers a 35-33 advantage.

The Mountaineers took an eight-point edge with 5:41 to play after a Healy jumper put the Phoenix behind, 53-45, forcing a Matheny timeout.

Elon closed the final 4:43 of the game on a 16-5 run, going 8-for-8 from the free throw line during that stretch. The Phoenix ended the night 12-of-15 (80 percent) from the charity stripe.

Elon committed just 10 turnovers in the win, marking the 11th time this season the team has recorded 10 or less miscues in a game.

 
Western Carolina 70, UNCG 68

GREENSBORO, N.C. - The UNCG men's basketball team suffered a physical 70-68 loss to Southern Conference foe Western Carolina Thursday night at the Greensboro Coliseum. The loss drops the Spartans to 5-8 in SoCon play this season while the Catamounts improve to 8-5 on the year, moving into sole possession of second place in the North Division.

The game was won on the glass as Western Carolina held a 41-30 edge over the Spartans, including grabbing 16 offensive rebounds. The Catamounts turned those second chances into 19 points, including some pivotal possessions down the stretch of the game. Additionally, the two teams combined for 52 free throw attempts in the physical contest with Western Carolina hitting 20-of-27 and UNCG connecting on 19-of-25.

UNCG connected on 43.8 percent (21-of-48) from the field but hit 33.3 percent (7-of-21) from long range. Senior guard Derrell Armstrong led four Spartans in double figures in the loss as he scored 18 points, 15 of which came in the second half. Sophomore Nicholas Paulos added 16 points off the bench in 18 minutes of action while junior guard Trevis Simpson scored 16 points, but only three in the second half.

Western Carolina connected on 37.3 percent (22-of-59) from the field and 35.3 percent (6-of-17) from long range. Trey Sumler led all scorers with 21 points, including 7-of-8 shooting from the free throw line, while Tawaski King added 13 points and Brandon Boggs chipped in 11 points.

The Spartans and Catamounts battled back and forth for most of the physical first half as the game opened to a 16-16 tie just eight minutes into the half. Junior forward David Williams was the offensive catalyst in the early going as he scored eight quick points, including hitting 4-of-4 from the free throw line. Western Carolina opened up the biggest lead of the half at 27-21 when Sumler hit a jumper off a Spartan turnover.

UNCG regrouped and closed the final 5:10 of the half on a 13-4 run to take a 34-31 lead into the locker room. Paulos started the run as he hit three free throws after being fouled on a long distance shot. Simpson scored eight of the Spartans' final 13 points in the half, including back-to-back three-pointers to give UNCG the lead at the halftime break.

The Spartans connected on 47.8 percent (11-of-23) from the field and 44.4 percent (4-of-9) from three-point land. UNCG also hit 8-of-11 free throws in the opening frame to help compensate for an 18-12 disadvantage on the glass. Simpson led all scorers with 13 points in the half while Williams finished with 10 points.

Western Carolina connected on 40 percent (12-of-30) from the field and just 28.6 percent (2-of-7) from three-point land. Sumler led the Catamounts with 11 points while King added seven points and four rebounds in the opening half.

After Boggs narrowed the gap to 40-39 at the 15:35 mark of the second half, Paulos scored nine of 10 points for the Spartans as they pushed their lead to 50-44. He connected on a pair of three-pointers before converting an old-fashioned three-point play in transition as freshman Jordan Potts pushed the pace in the attack.

Western Carolina responded with an 18-5 run to take the lead back at 62-57 on a King basket in the paint. Mike Brown got the Catamounts going with a pair of three-pointers in the run before Sumler nailed a long distance shot as the shot clock was winding down to give WCU the lead.

The Spartans kept battling as they tied the game at 63-63 when Armstrong scored four straight points knotting the game at 3:30 left. Boggs put the Catamounts up two with a pair of free throws before freshman Kayel Locke hit just one of two keeping WCU in the lead.

Armstrong again triggered the attack as he was fouled and hit two free throws to give UNCG a 66-65 lead with 1:31 left. Western Carolina was sent right back to the free throw line though as a foul was called off the ball sending Tom Tankelewicz to the line where he hit to giving the Catamounts the lead back for good.

After WCU hit one free throw, the Spartans had a good look to tie the game, but Armstrong runner in the lane rolled off the rim. Sumler hit two free throws on the ensuing possession before Paulos scored on a put-back to trim the deficit to 70-68 with seven seconds left. King missed both free throws with 2.9 seconds left but without a timeout the Spartans were unable to get a shot off at the buzzer.

Williams finished the game with 10 points in the loss while also grabbing four rebounds and posting two steals in 30 minutes of action. Senior guard Korey Van Dussen returned to action for the first time since Dec. 31 (injury) and played 17 minutes off the bench posting two steals and handing out an assist.

 
Chattanooga 83, Furman 49

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Freshman Gee McGhee tallied a game-high 16 points and Chattanooga forced Furman into 20 turnovers as the Mocs topped the short-handed Paladins, 83-49, in Southern Conference men's basketball action on Thursday night at the McKenzie Arena.

The Paladins, who dressed out just eight players due to injury, slipped to 6-18 overall and 3-10 in league play with their fifth consecutive loss and first defeat by 30-plus points since suffering an 83-43 setback at Davidson on January 21, 2009. Chattanooga won for the third time in the last four outings to improve to 11-15 overall and 6-7 in the SoCon.

Chattanooga, 39-27 leaders at the half, outscored the Paladins 44-22 in the second half and managed a 48-26 scoring edge in the paint. McGhee hit 6-of-10 shots to lead the way while Eric Robertson and Farrad Cobb came off of the bench to score 14 and 12 points, respectively, as the Mocs bench outscored the Paladin reserves 41-10.

Furman's 20 miscues led to 21 Chattanooga points and the Mocs added 16 points off of 18 offensive rebounds before finishing with a 48-32 edge on the glass.

The Paladins shot just 37.3 percent from the field and connected on only 4-of-21 three-point attempts. Senior Colin Reddick and freshman Stephen Croone paced the Paladins with 12 points apiece while senior Bryant Irwin reached double figures with 10 points. Croone grabbed a career-high nine rebounds and Reddick recorded his 96th career blocked shot to move into a tie with Moussa Diagne for fifth on Furman's career blocks list.

Chattanooga shot 44.2 percent from the floor and made 8-of-24 three-point attempts. Eleven different Mocs made at least one basket and UTC claimed 11 steals on the night.


Davidson 75, College of Charleston 59

CHARLESTON, S.C. - Jake Cohen scored a career-high 32 points, including 19 in the second half, to lead Davidson to its ninth straight win, a 75-59 victory over College of Charleston in Southern Conference men's basketball action Thursday evening at TD Arena.

In addition to shooting 59.3 percent in the second half, the Wildcats used a 24-8 run midway through the period to break open a two-point contest and take their largest lead, 71-53, with 3:29 to play. The game-changing spurt was capped off by 12 straight points from Cohen.

Cohen finished the night 13-of-24, including three 3-pointers and four blocks in 32 minutes of action.

Davidson (18-7, 13-1 SoCon) also got double figures from Nik Cochran, who contributed 14 points and five assists. Backcourt mate JP Kuhlman also added five assists to go along with nine points and five rebounds.

The Wildcats concluded the night shooting 50 percent overall and 41.7 percent (10-24) from long range, while making 11-of-13 attempts from the charity stripe.

Andrew Lawrence and Trent Wiedeman led the way with 10 points each for College of Charleston (18-8, 10-4 SoCon), which shot just 40 percent.

Despite both Brooks and Cohen picking up two first-half fouls, the Wildcats went to the break up, 32-30.

Highlighted by eight of Cohen's 13 points in the first 20 minutes, Davidson raced out to a 10-0 advantage before the Cougars slowly chipped away to tie the score, 20-20 at the 8:35 mark. The two teams then traded buckets the remainder of the frame.
 

Samford 40, Wofford 33

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Valentine's Day was not kind to the Wofford men's basketball team as they were defeated 40-33 on Thursday night at the Pete Hanna Center. The Terriers held the Bulldogs to 32.6 percent from the floor, but Wofford could only shoot 27.1 percent on the night.

Wofford moves to 10-17 on the season and 4-10 in the Southern Conference. Samford is 9-17 overall and 7-6 in the SoCon. The Terriers were led by Lee Skinner with ten points and seven rebounds. Karl Cochran and Spencer Collins were a combined 5-29 from the floor for 13 points. The Bulldogs were led by Clide Geffrard with 17 points, which included three from behind the arc.

The Bulldogs scored first, but the Terriers were able to take a 4-2 lead after a dunk by Karl Cochran off a turnover. A three pointer by Indiana Faithfull with 15:23 on the clock gave Wofford a 7-2 advantage. Back-to-back buckets by Lee Skinner pushed the score to 11-2 before the Bulldogs score four straight points to cut the lead to 11-6 after seven minutes of play.

After a scoreless stretch of almost four minutes, the Bulldogs made the run 8-0 before a reverse lay-up by C.J. Neumann gave Wofford a 13-10 lead at the 8:01 mark of the first half. Lee Skinner added a bucket for a 16-10 score with four minutes left on the clock. Samford went on a 7-0 run to close out the half, including a three pointer, to take a 17-16 lead at the break.

To begin the second half, Samford hit a pair of free throws to take a 19-16 lead with 17:42 on the clock. The Bulldogs pushed the run to 13-0 and had a 23-16 advantage after four minutes of play. Wofford ended the run with a bucket and free throw by Karl Cochran, the first points in nine minutes of play for the Terriers, to make it a 23-19 score. Lee Skinner cut the lead to 23-21, but the Bulldogs answered with a three to go up by five. A lay-up and free throw by Spencer Collins made it a 26-24 game at the 10:57 mark of the second half.

Samford used a quick 7-0 run to push the lead back to 33-24 with nine minutes left in the half. C.J. Neumann had a lay-up to end the run, but the Bulldogs led 36-26 with 5:46 remaining on the clock. Spencer Collins hit a jumper and a dunk by Karl Cochran cut the lead to 36-30 at the five minute mark. After neither team scored for four minutes, the Bulldogs took a 38-30 advantage with 57 seconds left. Two free throws by Samford made it a ten point game before a three pointer by Indiana Faithfull cut the score to 40-33 with 13 seconds on the clock which would prove to be the final score.

The Terriers were 2-of-15 from with three, while the Bulldogs were 3-of-13 from behind the arc. Samford was 9-of-15 from the line while Wofford was 5-of-6 on free throws. The Bulldogs had a 35 to 33 lead on the glass. Wofford had 17 turnovers on the night, while Samford had 16. John Swinton missed the game due to injury. The 33 points scored matched a low scored at Wisconsin in 2011.