Elon 83, Appalachian State 76
BOONE, N.C. — Chris Burgess poured in a career-high 19 points but it wasn't enough for Appalachian State University men's basketball in an 83-76 loss to Elon on Saturday afternoon at the Holmes Center.
Appalachian State (6-15, 2-6 SoCon) made 53.1 percent of its shots (26-of-49), including 42.9 percent from three-point range (9-of-21) but couldn't overcome an even better shooting effort by Elon (12-11, 5-3 SoCon), which made 55.8 percent of its field-goal attempts (29-of-52) and sank 11-of-25 three-pointers (44 percent).
Elon took control early with a 13-2 run and Appalachian State was never able to get closer than five points the rest of the way. The Phoenix extended its lead to as many as 17 points midway through the second half but Appalachian pulled within single-digits on four separate occasions late in the ballgame and cut the deficit to seven points when Michael Obacha made the first of two free throws with 41 seconds to go. However, Obacha missed the second charity shot and Elon made 5-of-6 of its own free throws down the stretch to seal the victory.
Burgess scored 13 of his career-best 19 points in the second half to keep Appalachian within striking distance. The 5-8 sophomore made 7-of-10 shots from the field overall, including two three pointers, and sank all three of his free throws to top his previous career of 16 points, set in overtime loss at North Carolina Central on Nov. 22. The Mountaineers' point guard also dished out a game-high-tying five assists.
Burgess led four Appalachian State scorers in double-figures. Highlighted by a career-high five three-pointers, Mike Neal scored 17 points while Tab Hamilton and Tommy Spagnolo added 15 and 10, respectively. Obacha led all rebounders with 13, including six off the offensive boards.
Elon had five in double-figures, led by Lucas Troutman, who scored a game-high 21 on 8-of-10 shooting from the field and 5-of-5 marksmanship from the foul line. Sebastian Koch (17), Ryley Beaumont (14), Jack Isenbarger (14) and Tanner Samson (11) rounded out Elon's five double-digit scorers. In all, the Phoenix's five starters (Troutman, Koch, Beaumont, Isenbarger and Kevin Blake) combined to shoot a lofty 62.5 percent from the field (25-of-40).
Davidson 62, The Citadel 43
DAVIDSON, N.C. – De’Mon Brooks’ 23 points and a barrage of 3-pointers late, led Davidson to a 62-43 victory over The Citadel in Southern Conference men’s basketball action Saturday afternoon on the newly named McKillop Court inside John M. Belk Arena.
During a pregame ceremony celebrating Bob McKillop’s 25th season, Davidson College officials announced that the basketball court at the Baker Sports Complex has been named “McKillop Court.”
After Matt Van Scyoc’s trey cut The Citadel’s (4-20, 0-9 SoCon) deficit to 36-34 with 9:04 to go, the Wildcats responded with a 24-6 run highlighted by five treys, including three from Jake Belford and two from Tyler Kalinoski to put the game out of reach.
Brooks eclipsed the 20-point plateau for a third consecutive game and the eighth time this season, going 9-of-10 from the floor, while recording eight rebounds and three blocks. Frontcourt mate Belford was the only other Wildcat in double figures with 11 points.
Both teams got off to a sluggish start, but Davidson (12-11, 8-1 SoCon) closed the first half on a 9-4 spurt, capped off by a Brooks’ 15-foot jumper at the buzzer, to give the Wildcats a 24-20 lead at the break after seven lead changes and four ties.
Davidson, which entered shooting 53 percent from the floor in league play, connected on 60.9 percent of its attempts in the second half to finish game at 50 percent (23-46). The Bulldogs shot 43.5 percent in both periods.
The Wildcats, who have won five straight and eight of their last nine, held a 31-21 advantage on the glass.
Brian White was the lone The Citadel player in double digits with 10 points in 19 minutes off the bench.
Georgia Southern 64, UNCG 62
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Kyle Doyle’s three-pointer with 4:05 remaining was the final scoring for the Eagles, but a hard-nosed defensive effort down the stretch lifted GSU to a 64-62 win over UNCG. The freshman’s trey staked the visitors to a five-point advantage which proved to be enough as the home side went 0-for-2 in the final four minutes from the field.
Jelani Hewitt led all scorers with 23 points as the junior continues his assault on the single-season scoring records at Georgia Southern. The victory lifts the Eagles to 11-12 on the year and 4-4 in SoCon play.
Doyle’s late three-pointer capped an impressive birthday double-double for the freshman. He scored 13 points and added 12 rebounds, pulling a dozen rebounds for the second-straight contest. Tre Bussey also chipped in 12 points as the Eagles overcame a 39% shooting night from the field.
The Eagles punished the Spartans on the rebounding glass, winning that battle 39-28 with 16 of those rebounds on the offensive side. UNCG shot 46 percent from the field, but was unsuccessful from open play in the final 4:35.
Jordan Potts scored 13 points off the bench to lead the Spartans with the balance coming in the first half. Kyle Cain scored his 11 points exclusively in the second half while RJ White also added 11. The Spartans’ top three-point threat, Nicholas Paulos was held well below his season average with just one bucket from downtown.
The Eagles led by one at the break, but the lead changed hands six times in the second half as neither team could go up by more than five.
With just under nine minutes remaining, Brian Holmes scored a layup that gave the Eagles a lead that would not be relinquished. Doyle’s three-pointer with 4:05 pushed the lead to five points, the largest advantage of the night.
UNCG drew a foul with 3:00 remaining and made both free throws to cut the lead to three points. On the next trip, Tevon Saddler made one of two free throws to make it a two-point game with 2:11 left.
Georgia Southern missed a three-pointer on the next trip, but got the offensive rebound to bleed the clock to 1:14 when another missed shot gave the ball back to the Spartans. The teams traded misses in the final minute, but a long possession by the Eagles gave UNCG just nine seconds for a final attempt to tie the game that was unsuccessful.
Wofford 77, Samford 58
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Wofford men’s basketball team used a dominating defense to earn a 77-58 win over Samford on Saturday night at Benjamin Johnson Arena. The Terriers held the Bulldogs without a basket for the first eight and a half minutes of the game on the way to building a commanding 43-22 lead at the half.
Wofford is 11-10 on the season and 6-3 in the Southern Conference. Samford is 9-14 overall and 3-5 in league play. The Terriers have won four straight games and have moved into third place in the SoCon standings. Wofford was led by Spencer Collins with 16 points and Karl Cochran had 14 points. Lee Skinner pulled down a game-high ten rebounds and scored nine points. The Bulldogs were led by Raijon Kelly with 16 points and five rebounds.
The Bulldogs opened the game by making one of two free throws. Wofford scored the next six points for a 6-1 lead at the 17:12 mark and the Bulldogs called a timeout. The Terrier run went to 8-0 before Samford hit a pair of free throws for an 8-3 score with 14:42 on the clock. Wofford scored the next eight points, including a three pointer by Spencer Collins, for a 16-3 lead. Samford made their first field goal of the game with 11:31 remaining to make it a 16-5 score. Jaylen Allen answered with a three and Spencer Collins had a jumper for a 21-5 lead.
With 8:47 left in the first half, Jaylen Allen hit a jumper and free throw to make it 24-5. A lay-up by Eric Garcia gave the Terriers a 26-5 advantage. After trading buckets, the Bulldogs cut into the lead for a 28-10 score. Karl Cochran buried a three pointer and Lee Skinner had a lay-up for a 33-12 lead with five minute to go in the half. A three pointer by Karl Cochran with 2:16 left made it a 40-20 advantage for the Terriers. Eric Garcia added a three pointer, but the Bulldogs made the final shot of the half for a 43-22 score at the break.
Karl Cochran hit a jumper and Lee Skinner made a three to begin the second half as Wofford took a 48-22 lead. The Terriers were up 52-24 after two minutes of play. A lay-up by C.J. Neumann made it a 54-28 lead five minutes into the second half. Jaylen Allen hit a three pointer to extend the score to 58-28 at 13:12. Wofford pushed the score to 63-30 before the Bulldogs hit a three at the midpoint of the second half.
The Terriers kept a 30-point lead at 65-35 with a lay-up by Justin Gordon. Samford answered with a three pointer, but Wofford had a 69-40 advantage after a jumper by Justin Gordon with six minutes left in the game. Samford hit a three for a 72-45 score, but John Swinton made a lay-up with 2:34 on the clock for a 74-45 lead. The Terriers cleared the bench for the final two minutes. Samford had a 7-0 run to make it a 74-52 game before Zach Korkowski hit a running jumper with less than a minute remaining. The Bulldogs scored six of the game’s last seven points for a 77-58 final margin.
Wofford shot 51.6 percent from the floor. Samford was held to 42.6 percent overall. The Terriers were 7-of-18 from with three, while the Bulldogs were 3-of-12 from behind the arc. Samford was 9-of-17 from the line while Wofford was 6-of-15 on free throws. The Terriers had a 42 to 30 lead on the glass. Wofford added 15 assists with nine turnovers.
Chattanooga 67, Furman 52
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Casey Jones scored 18 points to lead four Mocs in double figures as Chattanooga downed Furman, 67-52, in Southern Conference play on Saturday night at McKenzie Arena in Chattanooga, Tenn.
With the victory, the first-place Mocs improved to 15-9 overall and 9-1 in league play. Furman slipped to 7-14 overall and 1-7 against the SoCon.
Leading 28-19 at the break, Chattanooga opened the second half on a 10-2 run to build a 17-point cushion and led by no fewer than 15 points the rest of the way. Z. Mason began the period with a breakaway dunk and Martynas Bareika followed with a three-pointer before Mason pushed the Mocs’ run to 7-0 with a jumper from the elbow. After Charlie Reddick netted Furman’s first basket of the half, Bareika buried a trey with 18:00 to play to up the margin to 38-21 and cap the Chattanooga run.
The Mocs buried five second half three-pointers and tallied 17 points off 19 Furman turnovers on the night to maintain their hold on first place in the league. Jones connected on 7-of-12 field goal attempts to score his game-high 18 points while Bareika scored 12 of his 16 points in the second half to help Chattanooga pull away. Mason recorded a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds to go with five blocked shots. Ronrico White rounded out the double figure scorers with 10 points off of the bench.
Chattanooga used a 15-2 run midway through the first half to forge a 28-11 lead before the Paladins finished the period with an 8-0 spurt. Stephen Croone, who netted a team-high 14 points, delivered a three-point play and Larry Wideman drained a triple from right of the key to send the Paladins into the break down just nine points.
Furman shot just 38.9 percent form the field on the night, but managed to even the rebounding battle at 36-36. Kendrec Ferrara tallied 11 points and grabbed nine boards to join Croone in double figures while Reddick snagged a season-high 12 rebounds to go with seven points.