#1 Davidson 86, #9 Georgia Southern 59
Box Score
ASHEVILLE, N.C. --- Davidson cruised to an 86-59 win over Georgia Southern in the quarterfinals of the 93rd Southern Conference Championship Saturday in ExploreAsheville.com Arena. The top-seeded Wildcats advance to the semifinals at 24-7, while the ninth-seeded Eagles end their season 14-19.
Nik Cochran led five in double digits for the Wildcats with 18 points and seven assists. He hit five-of-seven from three-point range in the win leading his mates to a 13-28 performance (46.4%) from beyond the arc. Cleon Roberts and Marvin Baynham had 13 apiece to pace the Eagles.
Davidson broke open a five-point game with a 21-3 run over the final eight minutes of the first half. The spurt was capped by four straight treys to take a 45-22 lead into the break scoring 14 unanswered for the 23-point cushion.
The Eagles had weathered a hot start by the South Division Champs. GSU scored six straight to get within five, 24-19, on back-to-back layups by Baynham with 8:51 remaining until intermission. It was all Wildcats from there with 10 of their 14 field goals coming from beyond the arc.
Tyler Kalinoski (14), De'mon Brooks (13), Jake Cohen (12) and Chris Czerapowicz (10) also tallied doubled figures for Davidson. It limited GSU to 38.3 percent shooting for the game - 12.5 percent (1-8) from three-land - while making 56 percent (28-50) overall on its own end.
GSU shot a near-perfect 88 percent from the free throw line making 22 of 25. Cameron Baskerville scored 11 points including a sparkling 9-9 from the charity stripe. He added six rebounds, while Baynham led with a game-high seven boards.
The win is No. 450 for Wildcats Head Coach Bob McKillop. He is in his 24th season as a collegiate head coach, all at Davidson.
#4 Appalachian State 74, Furman 60
Box Score
ASHEVILLE, N.C. --- Appalachian State posted a 74-60 win over Furman in the quarterfinals of the 93rd Southern Conference Championship Saturday in ExploreAsheville.com Arena. The fourth-seeded Mountaineers advance to the semifinals with a 15-15 record, while the 12th-seeded Paladins conclude 2012-13 at 7-24.
Nathan Healy and Jay Canty scored 13 points apiece to lead App State. Canty added five rebounds and a game-high six assists. Colin Reddick had 15 points and four blocks for Furman, while Kendrec Ferrara chipped in 12 points and eight boards.
App built a comfortable cushion with a 23-4 run in the first half turning a two-point deficit into a 17-point advantage, 28-11 on a Michael Obacha layup at 7:50. It was a 14-point margin heading into the half, 38-24, after Ferrara's layup in the closing seconds.
Furman came out of the break strong with two Charlie Reddick free throws capping an 11-0 spurt closing to within five points, 38-33, with 17:36 to go in the game. But it could not get over the hump. App, leading 47-40 after Ferrara's trey at 14:11, out-scored their opponents 19-5 over the next five-plus minutes to jump out by 21, 66-45, on a Tab Hamilton three-pointer.
The Paladins got within 11, 66-55, on two more Charlie Reddick free throws, but that's as close as it would get. App held off every charge from Furman in claiming the 14-point win.
Jamaal Trice had 12 points for the Mountaineers who scored 33 points off 18 Paladin turnovers. Bobby Austin and Charlie Reddick each tallied 11 points for Furman with Austin grabbing a game-high nine rebounds.
App State takes on top-seeded Davidson in Sunday's first semifinal at 6 p.m., at ExploreAsheville.com Arena inside the Asheville Civic Center. All tournament games through the semifinals are broadcast on ESPN3.com.