Wofford 86, Iona 73

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Led by four in double figures, the Wofford men’s basketball team used a strong second half to put away MAAC preseason favorite Iona, 86-73, Tuesday morning at Benjamin Johnson Arena.

Wofford overcame Iona’s hot first half in which the Gaels scored 42 points with the help of seven made threes. The Terriers went shot for shot to trail by just three at the break.

A gutsy defensive effort saw Wofford hold the Gaels to just 37.5 percent from the floor in the second half. The Terriers shot above 50 percent and used a 22-8 run that lasted nearly 10 minutes to turn a two-point game into a blowout. Wofford shot 6-of-11 from beyond the arc in the final 20 minutes and outscored the Iona 47-31.

Senior Karl Cochran scored 20 points to lead a group of four Terriers (1-1) that finished in double figures. Fellow senior Lee Skinner dropped 15 on 6-of-7 shooting to go with nine rebounds. Junior Justin Gordon had 13 points (6-9 FG) and sophomore Jaylen Allen went 3-of-5 from long distance to finish with 11.

For Iona (1-1), David Laury posted a game-high 23 points and A.J. English had 22.

The Terriers impressed on a national stage. The game tipped at 7 a.m. as part of ESPN’s College Hoops Tip-Off Marathon with 3,014 in attendance.

It was an all-around effort as nine different Terriers found the scoring column and nine more contributed with at least one rebound. Wofford finished with 11 offensive boards, leading to an 18-1 advantage in second-chance points.

The Terriers ended the game shooting 53.6 percent, including 9-of-17 (52.9 pct.) from beyond the arc. After going 13-for-23 in the first 20 minutes, Iona wound up at 46.8 percent (22-47 FG).

Wofford donned new gold uniforms for its first home game of the season. Trailing 11-10, Cochran pulled up for three and Allen pick-pocketed Iona’s Kelvin Amayo, finding Gordon for a jumper to go in front by four.

The Terriers were on top for nearly 10 minutes and took their biggest lead of the half on a spin-around jumper from Cochran, 21-15. Grant Ellis hit a triple at the 4:45 mark to tie the game at 27. The Gaels then used a 7-0 run to go in front 34-30, capped by another Ellis three.

Both sides went shot for shot through the opening half’s final minutes. At one point they combined to go 9-for-9 with the Gaels holding the edge heading into the locker rooms.

Cochran led all scorers with 12 at the break. Teammates Gordon and Skinner each had nine. Laury headed Iona’s effort with 11, followed by English with 10.

Wofford came out firing in the second half. They scored the first five points to quickly take a lead off a Cochran 3-pointer and Collins jumper.

It was back-and-forth for the next five minutes until Wofford senior John Swinton hit a big 3-pointer that gave the Terriers a 55-52 lead.

Wofford never trailed again. Ahead by four, Gordon got the Benjamin Johnson Arena crowd energized. Collins took a fadeaway with the shot clock expiring. It missed, but Gordon cleaned up with a thunderous two-handed, putback slam.

Three minutes later, Allen sent another charge through the arena with a triple to put the Terriers up double digits. The lead grew to as many as 18 with Wofford up 84-66 with 2:41 remaining.

VMI 124, Johnson University 42 

LEXINGTON, Va. - The VMI Keydets put six players in double figures and set a school record for margin of victory, en route to a 124-42 win over the Johnson University Royals Tuesday night at Cameron Hall. The game was VMI's (2-1) home opener for the 2014-15 year.

The Keydets jumped out to a 28-0 lead and never looked back, as VMI opened the game with a run that fell just six points shy of a Division I record. The 28 unanswered points to open a game was just six points shy of Seton Hall's 34-0 run to begin a contest against Kean in 1998.

The Keydets also allowed the fewest points they had surrendered since Nov. 22, 2004 and notched the 10th-most points scored in school history with their 124 markers. VMI forced 30 turnovers in the win and hit 21 three-pointers, tied for the third-most in program annals and the team's most since also hitting 21 in a November 2010 game. In addition, the Keydets limited Johnson to just 14 field goals, two shy of a team defensive record set in 1972.

In the victory, the Keydets were led by QJ Peterson's 19 points, while Trey Chapman went 5 for 5 from the floor and finished just two points shy of his career-high, as he scored 14 points. Craig Hinton, Tim Marshall, Jordan Weethee and Armani Branch all finished in double figures as well, with Hinton doing so in his season debut.

The Keydets continued to stretch their lead after the game-opening run, with the margin growing to as many as 47 at one point, 55-8 with 5:35 left in the opening half. Johnson pulled into double digits on a layup with 3:53 on the clock, and the teams were relatively even the rest of the half as the Keydets led, 62-16, at the break. A 12-0 edge in second chance points and a 23-4 margin in points off turnovers were the key stats over the first 20 minutes.

The second half saw more of the same, as the home team used a 23-2 run to grow its lead to 85-18 with 14:28 to play. The Keydets hit the century mark on a triple with 11:38 to go, taking an 80-point lead at 100-20 on the QJ Peterson shot, and took a game-high 85-point lead moments later at 105-20. Johnson was able to stay relatively even the rest of the way and cut the final margin to 82, 124-42, as time expired.

VMI finished the game 43 of 82 from the floor (.524) and 21 of 46 (.457) from long range. The Keydets made 17 of 24 at the foul line. Johnson was held to 14 of 63 (.222) overall and 3 of 13 from downtown (.231).

 

ETSU 111, Virginia Wise 67

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – The ETSU men’s basketball team posted its best offensive first half in nearly four years, scoring 61 points on its way to a 40-point halftime advantage and ultimately coasted to a 111-66 win over non-conference opponent UVa.-Wise in the Buccaneers’ home opener Tuesday night at Freedom Hall.

ETSU connected on 14 3-pointers on the night, coming up just one shy of the school record of 15, while shooting 51 percent from the floor in the first half and hitting on 48 percent of its shots for the game. The Bucs – who last scored 100-plus points in a 108-87 win over Tusculum back on Dec. 16, 2013 – held the Cavaliers to just 29 percent shooting, out-rebounded Wise 63-35, held an impressive 22-0 advantage in fast break points, and outscored the Cavs 44-10 in the paint.

“I thought we did some good things and this was a good game to get back into the flow of things,” said ETSU head coach Murry Bartow, whose team improved to 1-1 on the year. “Obviously in our season opener at Valpo we didn’t defend well and a lot of things didn’t go the way we wanted them to go. Tonight, to get a lot of guys into the flow of the game, to hit 14 threes, to defend a little bit better, and to test our press a little bit was good for us. This was a game we needed timing wise because we’ve got two really good tests coming up.”

Senior guard Jalen Riley posted his second-straight 20-plus point game with a game-high 21, while four other teammates eclipsed double figures on the night. Junior forward Lester Wilson collected 18 points, senior guard Rashawn Rembert and senior post Alex Bates both netted a season-high 14, and sophomore guard A.J. Merriweather pitched in 10. Meanwhile, junior point guard Petey McClain dished out a career high 11 assists in the game, and sophomore guard Devin Harris grabbed a personal best 10 rebounds.

In the first half, the Bucs used an early 13-0 run to take a 13-9 advantage and build it to 26-9 with 10 minutes left before the intermission. From there, the lead grew to 25 at 45-20 before the Bucs ended the half on a 16-1 run to make 61-21 at the break.

While Wise was able to basically match the Bucs offensively in the second half, the game was all but decided at that point. For the game, ETSU dished out 25 assists on 42 made baskets, and committed just nine turnovers. The team shot 42 percent from 3-point range, and held Wise to just 28 percent from beyond the arc.

For the Cavs, Charles George led the way with 17 points, while Philip Owens II and Oliver Thompson scored 16 and 14, respectively.

UNCW 84, UNCG 72

GREENSBORO, N.C. – The UNCG men’s basketball team dropped its first game of the season Tuesday night as the Spartans fell to cross-state foe UNCW 84-72 in the Greensboro Coliseum opener. The Spartans will hit the road for four straight games, beginning this weekend with three games in three days at the EMU Showcase in Ypsilanti, Mich., where they will face Longwood (Friday), Eastern Michigan (Saturday) and Youngstown State (Sunday).
 
“Give a lot of credit to Wilmington tonight and congrats to Kevin on his first win as a Division I coach,” head coach Wes Miller said. “I thought they shot the ball really well tonight, but certainly thought we helped them. We got a long way to go defensively, but I do believe we can get there. We have to get our guys to understand how important it is to be keyed in defensively and we have the guys that can do that. I like my guys. I like the way we fight and play together we just have to get better on the defensive end.”
 
UNCW was strong offensively, shooting 65.3 percent (32-of-49) from the field in the victory and connected on 62.5 percent (10-of-16) from 3-point land. The Spartans conversely connected on 43.6 percent (24-of-55) from the field but only hit 18.2 percent (4-of-22) from long range and just 60.6 percent (20-of-33) from the charity stripe.
 
UNCG out-rebounded the Seahawks by a 32-26 margin, including 13 on the offensive end. Junior forward Kayel Locke (Baltimore, Md./McDonogh) paced the attack with 22 points and eight rebounds as he was 5-of-9 from the field and hit 12-of-16 on the charity stripe. Craig Ponders led the Seahawks with a game-high 26 points as he was 9-of-11 from the field, 4-of-4 from 3-point land and 4-of-7 from the line.
 
Redshirt sophomore center R.J. White continued his strong start to the season as he scored 16 points and grabbed five rebounds on 7-of-14 shooting. Sophomore guard Tevon Saddler rounded out the Spartans in double figures with 16 points and six assists in 35 minutes of action.
 
The Spartans came out of the gate strong holding an early 9-6 lead as Saddler scored five early points. UNCW slowed the Spartans with its zone defense and posted a 14-2 run to take a 20-11 lead as Dylan Underwood hit an early 3-pointer and Craig Ponder capped the run by scoring in transition to force a UNCG timeout.
 
The Spartans answered back with six straight points, forcing the Seahawks into a timeout with the score at 20-17. Locke scored four points in the run while senior Jamal Mitchell hit a baseline jumper. UNCW answered back with an 11-2 run to take a 31-19 lead and force the Spartans into another timeout.
 
UNCG made a late push to enter the half down 39-31. Junior forward Ben Dickinson scored seven points and grabbed five rebounds down the stretch of the first half to provide the Spartans with a spark on the offensive end. 
 
The Spartans connected on just 40 percent (10-of-25) from the field but missed all nine of its 3-points in the opening half. Locke and Saddler led the Spartans with 10 points each while Dickinson chipped in seven points. UNCW connected on 59.3 percent (16-of-27) from the field and hit 3-of-6 from long range. Ponder led the Seahawks with 11 points while Sherwood chipped in 10 points off the bench.
 
The Spartans came out of the break and quickly forced the Seahawks into a pair of turnovers, turning them into five quick points. Locke opened the scoring with a basket in the paint while senior guard Nicholas Paulos nailed the Spartans’ first 3-pointer of the game.
 
After Locke narrowed the gap to 44-42 with an old-fashioned three-point play, the Seahawks scored six straight to extend the lead back to eight as Cedrick Williams and Ponder hit long-range shots. The Spartans kept battling but each time they made a run, UNCW was there to answer.
 
UNCG made one last push, scoring eight straight points to force a timeout at 63-58. White started the run as he made a steal at half court and drove the length of the floor to score in transition igniting the crowd while Paulos capped the run with another 3-pointer.
 
The Spartans got as close at 67-64 with 6:58 remaining in the game as Saddler scored in transition. Ponder had the answer for the Seahawks though, scoring seven straight points himself to take the lead back to double figures, sealing the victory.
 
Paulos finished the game with six points and six rebounds as he played a team-high 38 minutes in the loss. Dickinson finished with seven points and six rebounds off the bench, playing 14 minutes. Sherwood ended the night with 16 points off the bench for UNCW, hitting 6-of-8 from the field, including four 3-pointers.
 

Butler 70, Chattanooga 48

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.---It was a tale of two halves for the Chattanooga Mocs men’s basketball team at Butler tonight. The Bulldogs pulled away in the second frame for a 70-48 win over the visitors from the Scenic City.
Casey Jones led the way with 14 points, while Eric Robertson came off the bench for 12 making a career-best four three-pointers. Kellen Dunham scored 26 for Butler as Kameron Woods added 10 points and 16 rebounds.

The Bulldogs led by three at intermission. Dunham’s three-pointer with 15 seconds to go gave the hosts a 25-22 lead and some much-needed momentum.

“It would have made a difference if we had led or tied the game going to the half,” Jones stated. “They were able to get that three, and that gave them confidence going into the locker room. It doesn’t sound like a lot, but three points can go a long way. It was a tie game and that three gave them momentum.”

Coach Will Wade concurred and added, “We stayed in there, got down 9-3 and really hung in there. We controlled the first half for the majority of it. We should have gone in tied or with the lead…it really got away from us there.”

It was all Butler in the second half. Dunham scored 19 of his game-high 26 after intermission. It was a seven-point game when the Bulldogs posted nine unanswered points for a 52-36 lead. That came in the midst of an 8:29 stretch when the Mocs were held without a field goal. Jones ended the drought with a jumper at 3:06, but the damage had been done.
Chattanooga shot 34.0 percent (16-47) from the field, 30.0 percent (6-20) from beyond the arc. The Bulldogs were just a little better at 41.5 percent (22-53), but they made more free throws (21) than the Mocs attempted (16).

Butler pulled out to the early 9-3 before a 11-1 spurt put the Mocs ahead 14-10 on Chuck Ester’s jumper at 9:17. Chattanooga held its hosts without a field goal for a 9:08 stretch, but could never get the margin beyond four.Alex Barlow’s three at 3:56 got the Bulldogs back on top 20-19.

Robertson answered nearly a minute later with a trey of his own to put his squad back up 22-20. Two Barlow free throws and Dunham’s three sent Butler into the locker room up 25-22.

“We needed to go in tied or with the lead at half,” Wade concluded. “We had a chance to take the lead on a couple of free throws, and there’s a big difference between being up 24-22 instead of being down 25-22 at half. There’s a big difference. We have to clean up some of those little things. We couldn’t finish in the lane, and that hurt us. We got three or four clean looks in the lane early and couldn’t hit them.”