Chattanooga 83, UAB 67
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Greg Pryor’s 18 points led four Chattanooga Mocs in double digits in an 83-67 win over UAB Monday night in McKenzie Arena. The Mocs, now 7-6 on the season, led from start to finish to drop the Blazers to 4-8.
Pryor added three rebounds and three steals to his total. Justin Tuoyo had a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds, while Casey Jones chipped in 13 points, nine rebounds and three assists. Ronrico White tallied 13 points, six rebounds and a game-high four assists.
Robert Brown paced UAB with 19 points. Hakeem Baxter had 15 points off the bench, as Nick Norton scored 12 to go with four rebounds and three assists.
The Mocs took its biggest lead of 26 points, 54-28, early in the second half on two Martynas Bareika free throws. UAB slowly chipped away cutting it to 16 with 9:11 to go on two C.J. Washington free throws. An Eric Robertson dunk and two Pryor free tosses extended it back to 20, 65-45, with 8:22 to go.
UAB answered quickly with an 11-0 run to slice the lead to nine. Brown got it started with a jumper at 8:07. Norton ended it with a three-point play with 6:31 remaining and the Mocs clinging to a 65-56 advantage.
If they were rattled, it didn’t show. Pryor rallied the troops. He drew fouls on consecutive possessions to get the lead back to 13, 69-56. Five trips later he drew the defense to him on a drive and made a gorgeous feed to Tuoyo for a slam. Next time down his three-pointer at 3:05 got it back to 17, 75-58. The Mocs cruised from there.
It was a physically strong defensive effort from the home team. Chattanooga limited its visitors to just 36.7 percent shooting (22-60), 31.6 percent (6-19) from beyond the arc. The Blazers were opportunistic scoring 25 points off 13 UTC turnovers.
Conversely, the Mocs shot 45.6 percent (26-57) from the field, 37.5 percent (6-16) from 3pt range. There were 60 free throws in the game with Chattanooga making 25 off 33.
UTC broke open a close game at the mid-point of the first half. Leading 21-16 with 11:04 to go until intermission, Chattanooga raced out to a 15-point lead, 31-16. Pryor’s layup at 7:51 capped the 10-0 spurt.
It was a 13-point contest, 38-25, as late as 3:51 in the first half when Pryor keyed another run. He scored six in an 8-0 ending to the frame sending Chattanooga into the break leading 46-25.
VCU 84, ETSU 60
RICHMOND, Va. – Trailing by just six points early in the second half, the ETSU men’s basketball team ultimately fell victim to VCU’s heralded defensive pressure in the final 20 minutes of regulation, as the Rams raced away to an 84-60 non-conference victory Monday evening inside the Siegel Center.
After committing a manageable eight turnovers in the first half, the Buccaneers became careless with the basketball in the second half, committing 14 miscues after the break and allowing the Rams to manufacture multiple offensive runs. With the loss, ETSU drops to 6-3 on the season, while the Atlantic 10 Conference’s Rams improve to 9-3.
For the game, VCU forced a total of 22 turnovers, grabbed 18 steals, and dished out 23 assists. Guard Melvin Johnson led the way for the Rams with 15 points, while teammates Treveon Graham and Michael Gilmore added 13 and 10, respectively. Meanwhile, ETSU got a game-high 18 points from senior guard Jalen Riley, while junior forward Lester Wilson had 11 and senior guard Rashawn Rembert netted 10.
Early in the first half, VCU’s “Havoc” defense gave the Bucs trouble, as ETSU committed five turnovers in the first 11 minutes. Those miscues allowed the Rams to take twice as many shots as the Bucs and build a lead of 22-13. From there, the VCU lead grew to as many as 11 before Riley scored seven straight points to power a 7-2 run and help the Bucs pull to within six at 32-26 with 29 seconds left in the half.
Unfortunately for the Bucs, Wilson fouled Johnson on a 3-point attempt with 2.5 seconds left, and Johnson proceeded to hit all three foul shots to make it 35-26 at the intermission. ETSU ended the half with just eight turnovers, which was quite an improvement after the early troubles.
In the second half, the Bucs opened with a 3-pointer by Rembert that made it a six-point game at 35-29, but after handling the VCU defensive pressure in the first half the Bucs crumbled after the break. Committing nine turnovers over a nine-minute stretch, ETSU looked on as VCU manufactured a lightning quick 12-0 run to open up an 18-point advantage at 47-29. That offensive surge continued until VCU led by as many as 28 late in the game.
The Bucs managed to cut the lead to 20 with four minutes left, but another 8-0 VCU run led to the final margin.
For the game, ETSU out-rebounded the Rams 34-30 and shot 37.5 percent from 3-point range compared to the Rams’ 35.7 percent clip. However, the Rams held significant advantages in points in the paint (42-18), points off turnovers (23-12), and bench points (35-27).
Individually, ETSU sophomore Isaac Banks (New Orleans, La.) had another strong outing, grabbing a game-high 10 rebounds, scoring four points and dishing out three assists in 31 minutes of play.
Michigan State 82, The Citadel 56
EAST LANSING, Mich. - A 19-0 run to open the second half proved to be the difference as Michigan State completed an 82-56 victory over The Citadel on Monday evening at the Breslin Center.
The Spartans (9-4), leading by six entering the second half, used six points by Marvin Clark Jr. and five by Bryn Forbes over a 6:30 stretch to distance themselves from the Dogs 51-26. The Citadel (4-7) got its first points on a free throw by Tim Broom just over 20 seconds later.
The combination of solid defense and consistency in its mid-range shooting allowed Michigan State to eventually extend the lead to 61-28. It was there that P.J. Horgan hit The Citadel's first field goal of the second half at the 8:48 mark.
Horgan tacked on two free throws and a jumper from the right elbow as he reached double figures for the ninth time this season.
The Dogs got the margin to under 30 points in the waning stages of the contest, behind a series of 3-pointers by Jake Wright and Brandon Thompson. It marked the first collegiate 3-pointer of Thompson's career.
Four players reached double figures in scoring for the Spartans including Denzel Valentine (18), Alvin Ellis III (13), Clark (12) and Gavin Schilling (11). Valentine knocked down 8-of-11 from the field, including two from long range, and was one of three starters with at least five field goals alongside Clark (5-8) and Schilling (5-6).
The Spartans' offense was orchestrated by Travis Trice's 11 assists, while Clark and Valentine controlled the paint with six rebounds apiece.
Michigan State capped off the contest by hitting 32-of-53, converting 17-of-25 from the floor in the second half. They also held a 44-16 advantage in points in the paint and a 30-3 edge in fast break points.
The Citadel was led on offense by the tandem of Horgan (19 points) and Ashton Moore (15). Horgan was effective in the paint for the Dogs as he hit 7-of-10 from the floor and was a perfect 5-of-5 from the free throw line. He also hauled in a team-high five rebounds (four defensive).
Moore proved to be the scoring threat from the perimeter as he hit 5-of-11 from the floor and 4-of-8 from beyond the arc. He shared the team-high in assists (three) with teammates Quinton Marshall and Warren Sledge.
Despite a difficult shooting second half, The Citadel closed the game 20-of-48 from the field and 8-of-21 from 3-point range.
The Citadel closed out the opening frame by hitting 10-of-23 from the field and 4-of-9 from beyond the arc.
Michigan State held a six-point lead at the break due in large part to a 22-6 advantage in points in the paint. The Spartans capitalized on the play of Trice (nine points) and Valentine (seven), who knocked down the lone 3-pointer for Michigan State with nine seconds remaining.
The two teams reached a five-all deadlock early in the contest after a Warren Sledge 3-pointer coupled with a C.J. Bray layup gave The Citadel its first two scores.
Michigan State answered the challenge with a 12-5 run over the next 3:56, highlighted by six points from Matt Costello and a dunk from Schilling, to assume a 17-10 advantage.
The Bulldogs retaliated with a 3-pointer off the hand of Moore and a tip-in from Bray, following a missed 3-point attempt by Sledge, as the margin was sliced to four.
Solid defense coupled with a jumper by Horgan and a 3-pointer off the hand of Moore drew the Bulldogs to within 21-20 with 7:49 left.
Free throws by Horgan followed by a turnaround jumper by Quinton Marshall allowed the Dogs to regain the lead, 24-23, with just over four minutes remaining. However, Michigan State used five points by Valentin to close out the half on an 8-2 run.
Minnesota 86, Furman 76
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- Junior Stephen Croone poured in 25 points and became the 40th Paladin to reach 1,000 career points, but Minnesota outscored Furman 12-2 over the final 3:04 to escape with an 86-76 victory on Monday night at Williams Arena in Minneapolis, Minn.
After Furman tied the game at 74-74 on Stephen Croone’s driving layup with 3:12 remaining, DeAndre Mathieu raced down the floor to put Minnesota back in front by two points. With under two minutes remaining, the Golden Gophers won the battle for a loose ball and kicked it out to Nate Mason, who drained a three to up the margin to 79-74 with 1:51 left.
Minnesota (10-2) stopped Furman on the Paladins’ next possession and Mathieu scored on the other end to increase the margin to 81-74 before Croone drew a three-shot foul with 36.5 seconds left. The Covington, Ga., native made 2-of-3 free throws, but the Golden Gophers converted on 5-of-6 trips to the charity stripe in the final 35 seconds to seal the victory.
Furman (2-8) trailed by as many as 16 points in the first half before closing the period on a 13-6 run to trim the Golden Gophers’ lead to 40-33 at the break. The Paladins exploded offensively in the second half converting on 17 of their first 23 shots and took their first lead of the night at 61-60 on Geoff Beans’ trey with 7:54 to play.
The lead changed hands seven times over the next 4:30 before Mathieu pushed Minnesota in front for good with just over three minutes to play.
Croone connected on 6-of-14 shots, including 5-of-9 beyond the arc, to lead the Paladins with 25 points, while fellow junior Kendrec Ferrara netted a season-best 18 points and pulled down 10 rebounds to record a double-double. Freshmen Beans and Daniel Fowler rounded out Furman’s double digit scorers with 14 and 13 points, respectively.
The Paladins finished at 47.5 percent from the floor after connecting on 63 percent of their second half shots and burying a season-high 12 three-pointers on 26 attempts.
Minnesota was led by Joey King’s 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting. Mathieu finished with 16 points, seven assists and five steals, while Mason and Maurice Walker reached double figures with 14 and 11 points, respectively.
The Golden Gophers shot 52.5 percent from the field and forced Furman into 19 turnovers which led to 18 Minnesota points. The Golden Gophers also compiled a 38-31 edge on the glass.
Tennessee 64, Mercer 54
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Junior Ike Nwamu netted a career-high 30 points, and Mercer whittled a 14-point second half deficit to four before succumbing to Tennessee, 64-54 at Thompson-Boling Arena Monday night.
Mercer dropped to 6-6 on the year while Tennessee remained unbeaten at home and improved to 6-4.
Nwamu’s hit 9-of-18 field goals, including six 3-pointers en route to his career-high scoring total. The Greensboro, N.C. native also added three rebounds and an assist in 37 minutes of work.
Nwamu hit his two first shots of the night and Mercer led 5-2 before Tennessee’s Devon Baulkman cashed in on a triple to tie the game. The Bears continued to pressure the Vols defensively, forcing six turnovers in the first 11 minutes while mounting a 13-8 advantage.
The Vols scored the game’s next seven points to regain the lead, and ultimately finished the half on a 19-2 run to take a 27-15 advantage into the dressing room. The turning point came as the Bears were assessed a bench technical following a Tennessee made basket with 1:19 on the clock. The infraction resulted in a six-point swing, and Mercer went from being within four to behind 12 in the final two minutes of the period.
The tables turned in the second half when Tennessee’s bench was assessed a technical foul, opening the gates to a 13-5 surge that brought the visitors within four with 9:04 to play. Nwamu fueled the charge, scoring eight of his points during the stretch.
A media timeout halted the rally, and Tennessee responded out of the break with six points in 40 seconds. The blitz pushed the margin back to double-digits, and the Bears would get no closer than nine the rest of the way.
Seniors T.J. Hallice and Darious Moten each added seven points and combined for 12 rebounds. Junior Jibri Bryan tallied six points, three rebounds, three steals and two assists while his classmate Phillip Leonard notched five assists, five rebounds, two points and a steal.
Mercer’s 15-point first half was a season-low, as the team struggled through 4-of-22 shooting from the floor. Nwamu hit all four of Mercer’s shots in the period, scoring all but two of the team’s first half points.
Virginia Tech 87, VMI 74
BLACKSBURG, Va. - A furious run for the Virginia Military Institute that cut the Hokies lead to single digits with two and a half minutes in the second half came up short as VMI fell to in-state foe Virginia Tech 87-74 at Cassell Coliseum in non-conference basketball action Monday night.
VMI (5-7) got two three pointers and three free throws during a late run, including treys from Tim Marshall and Craig Hinton while Brian Brown canned two free throws. Marshall hit a free throw with 5:51 left to spark the run that last just over two minutes.
A three pointer from Marshall with 3:16 to play cut the Virginia Tech (7-4) lead to 10 and after a Justin Bibbs free throw, QJ Peterson hit a jumper to pull VMI within nine with 2:33 to go. But VMI was forced to foul late in the game, allowing the Hokies to hit four straight free throws to seal the win.
VMI, which competed in the Southern Conference with Virginia Tech from 1921 to 1965, struggled in the first half to score with no players in double digits. But the Keydets bounced back in the second half to out-score the Hokies 47-36.
The Keydets were led by three players in double figures, paced by Marshall and his 18 points. Marshall went six-of-15 from the floor, including five three pointers. Peterson dropped in 14 points but failed to convert any of his six three-point efforts while going four-of-18 from the field. Brown was the third Keydet with double digits as he poured in 10 on a three-of-nine evening including two three pointers on five chances.
As a team, VMI went 32.9 percent from the field, bolstered by a 38.1 percent shooting effort (16-42) in the second half. The nation’s top three-point shooting team went 25.6 percent from the field, hitting 10 of its 39 chances.
The Hokies, who played their second game in three days after topping The Citadel 64-61 on Saturday, put five players in double digits with Bibbs putting up a game-high 20. Devin Wilson scored 16 points for Virginia Tech while Jalen Hudson had 12. Adam Smith and Ahmed Hill notched 10 points apiece.
Despite a disparity in height, Virginia Tech only out-rebounded VMI by four, coming down with 44 while snagged 40. The Keydets had 17 offensive rebounds which helped lead to 13 second chance points.
The Hokies used their height in the paint, scoring 50 of their 87 points down low. Virginia Tech also capitalized on VMI’s miscues, scoring 23 points on 15 VMI turnovers, 11 of which came in the first half.
Phillip Anglade was VMI’s top rebound getter with nine, including six on offense. Anglade led VMI’s defensive efforts as well, coming up with six blocks, tying his season high. Peterson snared eight rebounds for the Keydets, including seven on the defensive end.
Virginia Tech’s Shane Henry was the game’s top rebounder, pulling down 13 rebounds, with nine on defense. Hill was the Hokies’ second-leading rebounder with six while Bibbs and Joey van Zegeren had four each.
As a team, Virginia Tech shot 53.2 percent from the field, including 66.7 percent in the first half. VMI’s second half defense held the Hokies to a manageable 40.6 percent (13-32) in the back half.
Virginia Tech took advantage of VMI’s nine-day stretch between contests, opening the game on an 18-4 run in just the first six-plus minutes. During that stretch, the Keydets had trouble from the field, going on a six-minute stretch without a field goal after Marshall’s first basket of the game.
Nearing the midway point of the first stanza, VMI cut the Hokies’ lead in the 132rd meeting between the programs to just nine, 24-15. But Virginia Tech limited the Keydets, who lead the NCAA in three-pointers made per game (12.9), to just two in the first 20 minutes of action.
The Hokies managed 16 fast-break points in the opening half while scoring 32 points in the point. Anglade led VMI’s defensive efforts in the first half with three blocks, with teammate Jarid Watson added a rejection of his own.
Offensively, VMI struggled from the field in the first half, hitting just a quarter of its shots (7-28). The Keydets did not have a player with double-digit points in the first 20 minutes as Peterson paced VMI with six. Marshall and Eleby dropped in five each as well.
Virginia Tech had two players in double digits in the first half as Wilson led the game with 11 and Hudson had 10. The Hokies were efficient offensively, scoring 20 of their 30 field goal attempts, while taking just six shots from beyond the arc, canning three.
West Virginia 77, Wofford 44
MORGANTOWN, W. Va. – The Wofford men’s basketball team struggled with 18th-ranked West Virginia’s press and fell on the road, 71-41, Monday night at WVU Coliseum.
It got away early. The Mountaineers opened the game ahead 18-2 in the first seven minutes. They scored 16 straight to take the big lead and Wofford never cut the margin back to single digits the rest of the night.
WVU entered the game leading the nation in steals (19.0) and turnover margin (+11.5). The Terriers held them below those averages, but West Virginia still forced Wofford into a season-high 21 turnovers off 12 steals.
Wofford (9-3) also had trouble shooting, ending the game at a season-low 26.8 percent (11-41). West Virginia (11-1) nearly hit 50 percent (27-55) and converted 19-of-23 attempts at the foul line.
Junior Spencer Collins and senior Karl Cochran were able to reach double figures scoring. Collins led the Terriers with 12 on 2-of-3 from long range and 4-of-6 from the line. Cochran also hit a pair of threes and was good on both of his foul shots.
For the Mountaineers, it was senior Juwan Staten who scored a game-high 17 points and completed his first double-double of the season with 10 rebounds. The Preseason All-American and Wooden Award Top 50 Watch List selection did the majority of his scoring from the charity stripe, hitting 9-of-10 compared to a 4-of-10 showing from the field.
Junior Jonathan Holton scored 11 points and freshman Jevon Carter scored 10 off the bench to round out the Mountaineers in double figures.