Western Carolina 84, Appalachian State 75 (OT)
CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Western Carolina outscored Appalachian State 16-7 in the overtime period as the Catamounts picked up their ninth home win of the season with an 84-75 victory over the Mountaineers in a Southern Conference rivalry game.
After trading the first two baskets of the overtime period, App State scored on back-to-back possessions to take a 74-70 lead two minutes into the five-minute frame. A Brandon Boggs dunk ignited the Catamounts and the crowd sending the Purple & Gold on a 12-0 run for an 82-74 lead with 37 seconds to play. Western Carolina held on over the waning seconds to earn the 84-75 win.
Trey Sumler paced the all-scorers with 25 point with 13 coming from the free throw line. Boggs came off the bench and contributed 15 points, while James Sinclair added 11 points. Tawaksi King and Tom Tankelewicz added ten points each with King’s biggest points of the game coming in overtime during the WCU run. His jumper in the lane iced the game for the Purple & Gold.
Tommy Spagnolo scored 23 points to lead the Mountaineers, while Ty Toney and Tab Hamilton added 14 points and 13 points respectively.
WCU finished the game 44 percent overall, 36 percent from three and 74 percent from the line. The Catamounts made 31 of their 42 attempts from the charity stripe. App State ended at 40 percent from the field, 22 percent from behind the arc and 69 percent from the line. The Mountaineers were 27-of-39 from the stripe. The Purple & Gold’s five 3-pointers compared to App State’s two triples proved to be the difference in the game in an otherwise even box score.
In the first half neither team could take a lead larger than three points as the first 20 minutes featured nine ties and 12 lead changes. The 12th and final lead change came when WCU's Tankelewicz drained a 3-pointer, while standing on the edge of the half court logo with 38 seconds to play to give WCU a 31-30 lead. The Catamounts held off Mountaineers over the final seconds highlighted by fourth team block when Torrion Brummitt swatted away a potential Mountaineer basket to hold the one point lead at the break.
The Purple & Gold came out of the half with the first nine points to take a 40-30 lead on a Kenneth Hall layup following a King assist two and half minutes into play. The Mountaineers answered with an 11-3 run to cut the lead down to 45-44 with 12:13 to play, but the Catamounts responded when Brandon Boggs scored on an offensive rebound to regain a three-point lead, 47-44, with 11:47 remaining. However, the Mountaineers pulled even two minutes later at 49 on a layup by Aaron Scott.
Sumler broke a tie at 51 with a 3-pointer at the eight-minute mark as the Catamounts pushed the lead out to seven points, 60-53, following a Tankelewicz trey off a Sumler assist with 5:35 showing on the clock.
A minute a half later, App State retied the game at 60 following a layup by Rantavious Gilbert, but Sumler drove to basket and scored the layup. Sumler was fouled on the play and finished the and-1 with the free throw to give WCU a 63-60 lead with 3:45 left. Again, the Mountaineers evened the score, this time at 63 on a Toney layup a minute later.
With the score still knotted at 65, Sumler was fouled 35-feet from the basket on a blocking call. Sumler made both free throws with 49 seconds left, making it four straight points from the line by Sumler and the Catamounts. On the ensuing possession, App State's Neal was fouled, but missed the first of his free throw attempts as WCU clung to a 67-66 lead ten seconds later. Sumler was fouled with 14 seconds showing and sent to the line, where me made the first free throw, but missed the second. App State's Hamilton was fouled shooting a three from the corner with .2 seconds. Hamilton missed the first, but made the second attempt. Following a WCU timeout, Hamilton calmly made the third free throw sending the game into overtime and setting up the dramatic finish.
Elon 60, Georgia Southern 59
BURLINGTON, N.C. – Georgia Southern had a golden opportunity for a road win scuttled by a last-second three-pointer on Saturday night at Elon. The Eagles led through most of the second half, but a Jack Isenbarger three-pointer with 0.7 seconds remaining handed the home side a 60-59 win.
The Eagles fall to 11-14 on the season and 4-6 in SoCon play. Elon improves to 14-11 and 7-3 in the league.
Jelani Hewitt led all scorers with 20 points with six assists for his third-straight performance of at least 20 points. Defending SoCon Freshman of the Week Kyle Doyle posted his second-straight Saturday double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. He added a pair of late free throws to keep the Eagles up by 5 with 1:57 remaining.
Ryley Beaumont paced the Phoenix with 14 points and 13 rebounds while Isenbarger scored 10 points.
Overall Elon was 7-for-33 from beyond the arc and shot just 9-of-32 (.281) from the field in the second half.
Georgia Southern led by eight points with 4:50 remaining, but the Phoenix nibbled their way back into the game. A three-pointer for Elon with 2:10, however, cut the lead down to three.
Doyle got fouled with 1:57 remaining and made both free throws to extend the lead back to five. The Phoenix made an old-fashioned three-point play nine seconds later to make it a two point game. The teams traded empty trips which included a pair of missed layups with 10 seconds left on the clock.
Elon got the defensive rebound and went the length of the court, getting the ball to Isenbarger for a 35-footer. He drained the shot and staked the Phoenix to a one-point lead with 0.7 seconds left on the clock.
Samford 92, Chattanooga 85 (OT)
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- In front of its largest home crowd in five seasons Saturday, the Samford University basketball team thrilled its exuberant, red-clad fans with a brilliant 92-85 overtime victory against the first-place Chattanooga Mocs in a momentous Southern Conference contest held at the Pete Hanna Center.
The Bulldogs’ crowd of 2,952 Saturday proved to be the school’s largest attendance since Stephen Curry and Davidson were nearly knocked off, 55-52, in a SoCon matchup held Jan. 31, 2009, in front of a standing-room-only mob of 5,116.
With its highest scoring output in nearly six seasons, Samford (11-15, 5-6 SoCon) exploded for a Seltzer-era best total of 92 points and improved to 9-3 at home this season.
The Bulldogs also snapped a four-game losing streak in their series against Chattanooga (15-11, 9-2 SoCon) and handed the Mocs their third loss in four outings.
Samford trailed by as many as 10 points in the first half, but consistently chipped away at Chattanooga’s lead until midway through the second period when the Bulldogs used a 15-5 run to garner a 59-51 advantage at the 9:20 mark.
During Samford’s second-half rally, Isaiah Williams ignited the Bulldogs’ offense with a pair of fast-break layups and a big-time 3-point basket from the right flank.
Williams, Samford’s dynamic true freshman from Buford, Ga., scored 20 points on 7-of-15 shooting Saturday and also handed out a team-high five assists.
Down the stretch in regulation, the Bulldogs held a seven-point lead, 75-68, with 1:37 to play, but Chattanooga’s Martynas Bareika scored five straight points in 27 seconds before Williams drained a pair of free-throws to give Samford a 77-73 lead with 1:01 remaining.
The Mocs’ Ronrico White knocked down a pair of free throws at the 52-second mark and Chattanooga then forced Samford into a turnover before Z. Mason registered the game-tying layup with 31 seconds remaining in regulation.
In the waning seconds of the first 40 minutes of action, the Bulldogs’ Isaiah Williams had a possible game-winning shot rim out, while Tim Williams had an attempt blocked at the buzzer.
Samford scored the first five points of overtime as Connor Miller drained a huge 3-pointer from the right win and then Tyler Hood blew by the Chattanooga defense for a key layup at the 2:05 mark in the game.
The Bulldogs’ defensive attack also continued to get better in the overtime period as Samford built an eight-point lead, 88-80, with just 38 seconds left to play. Chattanooga wouldn’t get any closer than five points late in the overtime stanza as the Bulldogs registered the decisive 92-85 triumph.
Samford’s Tim Williams overshadowed the Mocs’ Mason in Saturday’s showdown as the Bulldogs’ talented 6-foot-8 sophomore from Chicago, Ill., registered his fourth double-double in six games, his fifth of the season and the 11th of his budding career. Williams tallied a team-high 21 points on 10-of-12 shooting from the field and pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds in the victory.
Chattanooga’s Mason finished Saturday’s game with a team-high 10 rebounds, but just nine points in 41 minutes of playing time.
The Mocs’ leading scorer in the defeat was guard Gee McGhee with 21 points on 8-of-16 shooting.
Samford’s Hood turned in a solid all-around performance Saturday against his home-state rival. The Bulldogs’ native of Lenoir City, Tenn., loaded the box score with 14 points, eight rebounds, four assists and a critical 5-of-6 performance from the free-throw line.
True freshman Brandon Roberts provided a huge spark off the bench for Samford with 13 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the floor. The Bulldogs’ explosive scorer from nearby Decatur, also pulled down two rebounds and only committed a single assist.
Samford’s Raijon Kelly and Jordan Capps also played extremely well for the Bulldogs Saturday. Kelly came off the bench to tally nine points, five rebounds and three assists, while Jordan Capps turned in eight points, seven rebounds and a trio of assists.
The Bulldogs’ 92 points Saturday was the team’s highest scoring output since March 4, 2008, when Samford suffered a heartbreaking 101-94 triple-overtime loss at UT Martin in the opening round of the Ohio Valley Conference. The game proved to be the Bulldogs’ final competition as a member of the OVC.
Samford outscored Chattanooga, 58-26, in the paint Saturday and led the Mocs in bench scoring, 32-24.
The Bulldogs shot a sizzling 55.6 percent from the field, while Chattanooga only turned in a 37.5 mark from the floor.
Wofford 77, The Citadel 56
CHARLESTON, S.C. – On Saturday night at McAlister Fieldhouse, the Wofford men’s basketball team defeated The Citadel 77-56. The Terriers took a lead on their first possession of the game and never looked back as they won their sixth-straight game.
Wofford is 13-10 on the season and 8-3 in the Southern Conference to sit in third place in the standings. The Citadel is 4-22 overall and 0-11 in league play. Wofford was led by Lee Skinner with 18 points and 12 rebounds for his eighth double-double of the season. Karl Cochran added 15 points, Eric Garcia had 14 points, and Jaylen Allen scored ten points. The Bulldogs had 14 points from Brian White.
The Citadel scored first, but Wofford answered with a three by Eric Garcia. After a lay-up by Karl Cochran and free throw by Eric Garcia, Wofford led 6-2 at the 18:05 mark. A three by Jaylen Allen and a dunk by Karl Cochran off a steal gave the Terriers an 11-4 lead four minutes into the contest. Jaylen Allen and Lee Skinner added buckets for a 17-8 advantage with 13:08 left in the first half.
Wofford used a quick 10-0 run that included five points from Eric Garcia to push the lead to 27-8 at the midpoint of the first half. The Bulldogs scored the next eight points to cut the score to 27-16 with 6:52 left in the half. Wofford had a bucket by C.J. Neumann to end the run. The Terriers gradually extended the score to 37-20 after a lay-up by Lee Skinner with 3:50 remaining in the half. Eric Garcia hit his third three pointer of the half for a 40-20 lead at the three minute mark. A three by Karl Cochran from the corner gave the Terriers a 45-24 advantage at the half.
To open the second half, the Bulldogs scored the first six points to cut the lead to 45-30. Justin Gordon ended the run with a bucket for a 47-30 lead after three minutes of play. The Citadel made it a 47-34 game before Karl Cochran hit a three pointer for a 50-34 score at the 14:07 mark. Three straight buckets by Lee Skinner gave Wofford a 56-35 advantage with 11:59 left in the second half.
A three pointer by Karl Cochran and a lay-up by Justin Gordon pushed the score to 63-40 with 8:05 left in the second half. The Citadel hit their first three of the game to cut the lead back to 20, but the Terriers had buckets by C.J. Neumann and Lee Skinner for a 68-43 score with 5:42 on the clock. A three by Jaylen Allen and a lay-up by Justin Gordon extended the lead to 73-45 a minute later. After taking a 77-51 advantage with 1:44 left, Wofford cleared the bench. The Citadel scored the last five points of the game for the 77-56 final margin.
Wofford shot 50.8 percent from the floor. The Citadel was held to 49.0 percent overall. The Terriers were 8-of-21 from with three, while the Bulldogs were 2-of-10 from behind the arc. The Citadel was 6-of-9 from the line while Wofford was 9-of-16 on free throws. The Terriers had a 33 to 30 lead on the glass. The Bulldogs had 15 turnovers and Wofford had 24 points off those turnovers. The Terriers had 16 assists and only seven turnovers in the game.
Davidson 65, Furman 50
DAVIDSON, N.C. – In addition to four players in double figures, Davidson shot 58.8 percent in the second half and extended its winning streak to seven straight with a 65-50 victory over Furman Saturday evening at Belk Arena.
TylerKalinoski led the Wildcats with 14 points, including four of his club’s 11 3-pointers. Backcourt mates Brian Sullivan and Tom Droney added 14 and 11, respectively, while Chris Czerapowicz had 10.
Davidson (14-11, 10-1 SoCon), which entered shooting 54 percent in league play, finished at just 43.8 percent, but converted 12-of-13 from the charity stripe. The Wildcats also dominated the glass with a 32-22 advantage, led by a career-high seven from Jake Belford.
Despite De’Mon Brooks and Droney in foul trouble and shooting 35.5 percent in the first 20minutes, Davidson closed the period on a 10-3 spurt, highlighted by consecutive 3-pointers from Kalinoski and Sullivan to take a 32-23 lead into the half.
After Furman (7-16, 1-9 SoCon) cut the deficit to seven midway through the second half, the Wildcats responded with a 14-4 run capped off by a pair of Kalinoski triples to stretch the margin to 17, 54-37, with 8:14 to play.
Stephen Croone paced two Paladins in double-digits with a game-high 17 points.