#2 Elon 68, # 10 UNCG 61
Box Score
ASHEVILLE, N.C. - The Elon Phoenix men's basketball team managed to shake off a pesky UNCG Spartan squad, advancing to the semifinals of the 2013 Southern Conference Men's Basketball Tournament with a 68-61 victory on Saturday, March 9 at U.S. Cellular Center. The Phoenix (21-10) shot 53 percent in the second half while limiting the Spartans (9-22) to just 31 percent shooting.
Junior forward Lucas Troutman was one of four Phoenix starters in double figures with 14 points while also pulling down 10 rebounds in the victory. Sebastian Koch posted a team-high 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting and Ryley Beaumont dumped in 12 points and grabbed eight boards. Point guard Jack Isenbarger added 11 points on 3-of-5 from long range, including a critical triple in the waning minutes.
UNCG guard Trevis Simpson netted a game-high 16 points and Kelvin McNeil came off the bench to contribute 10 points. Derrell Armstrong and David Williams were beasts on the boards with 11 and 10, respectively.
With the teams playing each other for the second time in just eight days, the local rivals needed all 40 minutes to determine the winner. After a tight first half that saw Elon take a slight 31-29 edge into the break, the Phoenix opened the final period on a 10-2 run. Elon pushed the ball in the paint with Troutman and Koch both capitalizing on old-fashioned three-point plays.
The Spartans' shooting woes were evident as they missed their first six field goals before a Kayel Locke layup halted the drought at the 16:01 mark to make it 39-31 in favor of the Phoenix.
The teams traded a couple buckets before Spartan sharp-shooter Nicholas Paulos nailed back-to-back treys to cut the deficit to six, 46-40, and force an Elon timeout at 11:26. The Phoenix maintained the advantage, but couldn't push the lead back to double figures. With 3:51 to play, a McNeil layup trimmed the Elon advantage to four, 58-54.
As the clock ticked under three minutes, Elon freshman Tanner Sampson found Isenbarger at the top of the key. The guard got a friendly shooter's roll to push the Phoenix back up by seven. The scrappy Spartans didn't relent, but Elon finished from the free throw line to survive and advance.
UNCG outrebounded the Phoenix 46-40, grabbing 15 offensive boards but had trouble converting the second chances into point. Elon got to the line 26 (18-of-26) times compared to only 16 (9-of-16) by the Spartans. UNCG forced 13 Phoenix turnovers but managed only three points off the miscues.
#3 College of Charleston 78, #6 Western Carolina 70
Box Score
ASHEVILLE, N.C. --- College of Charleston claimed the 78-70 win over Western Carolina in the final quarterfinal game of the 93rd Southern Conference Championship Saturday in ExploreAsheville.com Arena. The Cougars, the tourney's three seed, advance to the semifinals with a 23-9 mark, while the sixth-seeded Catamounts end their campaign at 14-19.
Anthony Thomas led CofC with 18 points and eight rebounds, while Adjehi Baru added 14 points, 13 rebounds and two blocks. Trey Sumler led Western with a game-high 25 points and six boards. James Sinclair chipped in 19 points, four assists, three blocks and three steals.
Charleston built on its three-point halftime lead early in the second half. The margin reached 11 after a 10-2 run capped by two Willis Hall free throws giving his team a little breathing room. Sumler's three at 11:46 got Western within eight, 51-43, but it was all CofC from there.
Baru hit two free throws just a minute later to get the back to double digits where it stayed until the final shot of the game. Once they got ahead, the Cougars held the Cats at bay the rest of the way. The lead never got larger than 16 points nor closer than the eight-point final which came as Sumler nailed a three-pointer at the final horn.
The Catamounts tried to make it a game late. Down 75-59, it went on quite a flurry to rouse its supporters who made the short trip to Asheville. Sumler hit one of two free throws but made a steal and scored on a driving layup to make it 75-62. Another steal and Sinclair trey cut it to 10, 75-65, with 53 ticks left but that was it.
Lawrence scored 16 points for the Cougars with all but four coming at the free throw line. He and his mates shot a scintillating 29 of 35 from the free throw line, 82.9 percent. Charleston out-scored the Catamounts 29-9 from the charity stripe.
CofC and No. 2 seed Elon square off in the second semifinal Sunday at 8:30 p.m., at ExploreAsheville.com Arena inside the Asheville Civic Center. The winner of that game takes on the winner of Davidson-Appalachian State Monday night. All tournament games through the semifinals are broadcast on ESPN3.com.
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