Samford 64, UMKC 55
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- The Samford University basketball team turned in its best shooting performance of the 2014-15 season Sunday against the Missouri-Kansas City Kangaroos as the Bulldogs earned a 64-55 victory in the third-place game of the Maui on the Mainland Regional Invitational held at the Jack Stephens Center.
Samford (2-3) opened Sunday’s contest with an 11-0 start and never looked back as the Bulldogs rolled to a wire-to-wire triumph against Missouri Kansas City (2-3). Samford held an average 10.2-point advantage throughout the game and the Bulldogs shot a brilliant 53.7-percent from the field and 60 percent (9-of-15) from 3-point range.
The Bulldogs’ Nnamdi Enechionyia received his first start of the season Sunday and turned in the best collegiate performance of his young, up-and-coming career.
Just a sophomore, Enechionyia scored Samford’s first eight points of the game and finished with a career-high 22 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the floor, including a near-perfect 5-of-6 outing from beyond the arc.
Enechionyia, the Bulldogs’ lithe 6-foot-7 sharpshooter from Springfield, Virginia, set career-highs in points (22), field goals (7), 3-point field goals (5), blocks (5) and minutes (27).
Samford shot a phenomenal 63.6 percent from the field in the first half and led by as many as 14 points, 39-25, in the opening period. The Bulldogs’ Enechionyia scored 19 of his game-high 22 points in the first frame and sparked Samford to a 39-28 half-time lead.
In the second half, Missouri-Kansas City came out of the locker room with a newfound drive and trimmed the Bulldogs’ lead to 41-36 by using a quick 8-2 run.
During the Kangaroos’ stretch, Noah Knight and Martez Harrison both knocked down 3-point baskets, while center Shayok Shayok scored on a layup. After Harrison’s 3-pointer, Samford’s Christen Cunningham swished a pair of free throws and Enechionyia drained his fifth basket from long range as the Bulldogs quickly extended their lead back to nine points at 46-37.
Missouri-Kansas City would not get any closer than seven points down the stretch as Samford completed its best all-around game of the season.
Samford was paced by Enechionyia’s career-high 22 points and also received a clutch, career-best performance from Marcus Johnson.
Johnson, in his first season as a Bulldog, came off the bench to score 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the field. He also pulled down three rebounds, connected on a pair of 3-point baskets and added a rebound, an assist and a steal.
Samford’s bench outscored UMKC’s reserves by a total of 30-15.
Missouri-Kansas City opened its 2014-15 campaign with a 69-61 victory at Missouri on Nov. 14. Then, the Kangaroos played at Kansas State and hung tough with the Wildcats, 83-73.
Samford cruised to a nine-point victory Sunday despite not receiving a single point from its starting front court consisting of center Michael Bradley and forward Tyler Hood. In fact, neither Bradley nor Hood even attempted a shot in the victory.
The aforementioned Bulldogs both succumbed to early foul trouble and combined for seven rebounds and two assists in 31 minutes of playing time.
Wofford 64, Sam Houston State 53
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – Four Terriers scored in double figures and the Wofford men’s basketball team limited Sam Houston State to 31.4 percent shooting in a 64-53 victory Sunday afternoon at Webster Bank Arena.
The Terriers gained control with a 7-2 spurt before the half to lead by seven, and came out of the locker rooms with the first five. It completed a 12-2 run that resulted in a 31-19 lead.
Sam Houston State got back within seven points on its first made three of the game after starting 0-for-19. Dakarai Henderson hit the triple with 3:51 to play, but the Terriers responded as they had done so all game. Junior Spencer Collins hit 1-of-2 at the line before senior Karl Cochran was left wide open in transition, draining the dagger that put Wofford back up by 11.
The victory is Wofford’s (4-1) fourth in a row, earning a three-game sweep at the Coaches vs. Cancer sub-regional, hosted by Fairfield. The Terriers defeated South Dakota 72-68 on Saturday night and started the weekend with a 54-36 thumping of the Stags.
Wofford shot 51.2 percent to outpace Sam Houston State (3-2) by nearly 20 percentage points. Henderson’s late three was the team’s only make from beyond the arc, as Wofford forced tough perimeter attempts that left SHSU 1-for-24 in the game.
Sophomore Eric Garcia led Wofford with 14 points that included a perfect 6-for-6 showing at the free throw line. Collins dropped 13 on 5-of-6 from the floor, while seniors Cochran and Lee Skinner finished with 12 and 10 points, respectively.
Cochran and Skinner were named to the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic Fairfield Sub-Regional All-Tournament Team at the conclusion of play. Cochran averaged 17.7 points on 46.5-percent shooting and a 12-of-25 mark from three, also going for 7.7 rebounds and 2.0 steals per contest. Skinner grabbed 23 total rebounds to average 7.7 as well, but also included eight boards on the offensive end. The Lombard, Ill. native averaged 8.3 points on 40 percent from the floor.
The Terriers played great defense right out of the gate. Sam Houston struggled to find many open looks and was forced to take shots late in the clock, resulting in a few violations.
Cochran picked up where he left off Saturday. After hitting eight triples to score a career-high 31 against South Dakota, he drained his first 3-point attempt of the afternoon. Buckets by junior Justin Gordon, freshman Cameron Jackson and Skinner catapulted Wofford to an early 13-4 run.
The solid defense continued. The Bearkats committed desperation turnovers late in the shot clock and the Terriers were collecting all the early rebounds, holding a 9-4 edge on the glass through the first 10 minutes.
Unable to break the Wofford defense, SHSU found a way back in the game by getting to the line. The Terriers committed their 10th foul of the half at the 3:56 mark and Sam Houston scored its final eight points at the charity stripe.
It got as close as a basket at 17-15, but Wofford opened up some distance with nine of the last 13 to lead 26-19 at the break.
Collins entered the locker rooms 4-of-5 from the field with eight points, showing off a good mid-range game. The Terriers shot 50 percent (10-20 FG) to SHSU’s 22.7 percent (5-22 FG), including 0-of-11 from three.
Skinner scored on the first possession of the second half and Garcia followed in a big way. The sophomore point was good from deep to give the Terriers their first 10-point lead and went on to score eight straight Terrier points. It put Wofford up 38-26 with 14:46 to play.
The lead grew to as many as 15 on consecutive baskets by Collins, Cochran and Skinner. Sam Houston made a run to get back in it, but junior Justin Gordon slammed home a one-handed tomahawk jam that gave the Terriers the energy they needed to finish off their fourth straight victory.
Youngstown State 76, UNCG 67
YPSILANTI, Mich. – The UNCG men’s basketball team battled hard for the third straight day, but the Spartans dropped a 76-67 contest to Youngstown State in the EMU Showcase at the Convocation Center in Ypsilanti, Mich. The Spartans played with only eight players, seven scholarship, for the third straight day due to five injuries at the guard spot.
Redshirt sophomore center R.J. White led the attack with his second double-double of the season. White scored 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in the loss as he was 8-of-16 from the field, including a career-high four 3-pointers. Sophomore guard Tevon Saddler added 11 points, seven rebounds and five assists while senior Nicholas Paulos finished with 10 points.
The Spartans connected on 42.4 percent (25-of-59) from the field and hit 41.7 percent (10-of-24) from 3-point land in the loss. The Spartans also only went to the free throw line 10 times Sunday while Youngstown State connected on 21-of-27 from the charity stripe. Marcus Keene led the Penguins with 28 points as he was 6-of-8 from 3-point land while hitting all six free throws. Bobby Hain added 20 points and nine rebounds while DJ Cole dished out nine assists for YSU.
The two teams came out of the gate trading baskets back and forth until Youngstown State posted an 11-3 run to take a 27-17 lead. Keene did most of the damage for the Penguins on the outside, hitting four 3-pointers, while Hain added six points in the early going.
The Spartans reversed the tide from that point on, closing the first half on a 17-5 run to take a 34-32 lead into the locker room. Saddler started the stretch with a 3-pointer while Paulos scored five points in the run, including a 3-pointer that pulled the Spartans within one.
Junior walk-on Asad Lamot provided an unlikely spark off the bench as he scored five straight to end the half, including his first career 3-pointer with 15 seconds left to give UNCG the lead. The Spartans connected on 46.7 percent (14-of-30) from the field and 46.2 percent (6-of-13) from long range in the first half. White led the way with eight points and five rebounds while Lamot scored a career-high seven points in the first 20 minutes.
Youngstown State connected on 48 percent (12-of-25) from the field and 45.5 percent (5-of-11) from long range but committed nine first half turnovers, which the Spartans turned into seven points. Keene led the Penguins with 12 points while Hain added 11 points and five rebounds.
The Spartans came out of the halftime break and scored five straight points to force Youngstown State into an early timeout. White scored all five to start the second half, hitting a 3-pointer and scoring in the paint. The Penguins responded with five straight and eventually tied the game at 46-46.
Youngstown State retook the lead for good with an 8-2 run and maintained it down the stretch. The Spartans rallied multiple times in the second half to make it a one-possession game but could not get over the hump. Byrd pulled UNCG within three at 61-58 with 4:12 left but Youngstown State hit 13 of it final 14 from the free throw line to seal the victory.
The Penguins finished the game shooting 46 percent (23-of-50) from the field and hit 45 percent (9-of-20) from long range. Additionally, YSU held a 37-30 edge on the glass, including 10 on the offensive boards.
Byrd finished the game with nine points and four assists as he was 2-of-8 from long range and hit all three of his free throws. Junior Kayel Locke added eight points on 4-of-6 shooting in just 17 minutes before fouling out while Lamot ended with seven points in 14 minutes before also fouling out.
Colorado State 75, Mercer 62
FORT COLLINS, Colo. – Senior Darious Moten and junior Jibri Bryan combined for 24 points as the Mercer men’s basketball team dropped a hard-fought 75-62 decision to Colorado State at Moby Arena Sunday evening.
Mercer slipped to 2-2 on the season while Colorado State remained undefeated at 3-0.
Moten’s seventh career double-digit scoring performance saw him net a team-high 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting. Moten also chipped in seven rebounds and an assist in 32 minutes of work.
Bryan scored 12 for his second-straight game in double figures while also adding four rebounds, two assists and a steal.
Mercer’s two seniors got the Bears off to a strong start, as good post defense by T.J. Hallice forced a CSU turnover and Moten twisted and got a finger roll to drop for a 2-0 lead. Another Rams turnover and a Phillip Leonard free throw gave the Bears a 3-0 advantage 79 seconds in.
CSU got on the board the next time down, as junior Joe De Ciman drilled a 3-pointer from the corner to open the flood gates on a 13-0 push by the Rams. Moten finally broke the Bears’ three-plus minute scoreless streak with a put-back layup and junior Jestin Lewis added a 3-pointer to get the Bears back within five at the 14:12 juncture.
After CSU extended its lead to 40-30 at halftime, the Bears roared out of intermission with a Bryan three and a thunderous one-hand slam by Moten. The hosts sharpened up quickly, however, hitting eight consecutive field goals over the next 5:18 to take an 18-point lead.
The Bears refused to quit, retaliating with an 11-3 spurt of their own to get the deficit back to 10 midway through the half. Mercer continued to fight the rest of the way, but was unable to get any closer than nine before the final buzzer.
Hallice finished with nine points on 4-of-6 shooting, while Leonard and junior Ike Nwamu each added eight points. The Bears wound up with advantages in paint scoring (30-28), points off turnovers (17-12), second-chance scoring (13-12) and bench scoring (11-1).