Men's Basketball Southern Conference

Catamounts, Terriers Advance to Monday's Final

No. 5 seed Western Carolina 99, No. 1 seed Davidson 97 (OT)

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Fifth-seeded Western Carolina will head to the Southern Conference Men’s Basketball Championship final after a thrilling 99-97 win over No. 1 seed Davidson in overtime in Sunday’s first semifinal at the U.S. Cellular Center. The Catamounts overcame a 15-point second-half deficit to get the victory, with Trey Sumler hitting a pair of free throws with 3.3 seconds left in OT to secure the win.

James Sinclair was phenomenal for the Catamounts (19-14), scoring 20 of his game-high 26 points after intermission. Sumler (25) and Brandon Boggs (21) also topped the 20-point mark as the trio combined for 72 of Western’s 99 points.

The Wildcats (20-12) had six players reach double digits, led by Chris Czerapowicz’s 22. SoCon Player of the Year De’Mon Brooks had 17 and Tyler Kalinoski and Jake Belford each tallied 15.

With the score tied at 97 in the waning seconds of overtime, Sumler drove from the right wing and was tripped up by Jack Gibbs with three seconds to go. The senior hit both free throws. The Wildcats’ inbounds pass got to half court, but Kalinoski’s 3-point attempt under duress was awry, sending Western to the title game.

Earlier, Czerapowicz made it a 15-point game, 51-36, with 17:22 to go in the game. The Catamounts methodically worked their way back into the game from there.

A jumper by Sumler at 14:40 cut the lead inside 10 for good. That jumper came after a Brian Sullivan trey from the right corner. It also sparked a 12-3 run that got the Catamounts to within one, 60-59, on a Sinclair jumper at 10:51. The comeback was complete just 38 seconds later when two Sumler free throws gave Western its first lead since 4-2 in the first half.

The ebb and flow from that point is what makes March Madness truly special. The Catamounts led by as many as four before the Wildcats scratched their way back to a lead as Jake Belford capped a 7-0 run with a three-point play at 6:22 for a 73-70 lead.

Sinclair and Sumler took over for Western. The duo combined for 14 points to knot the score at 84-all with 2:54 to go. Mike Brown put the Catamounts up two, 86-84, on a tip-in with 1:25 left. Brooks tied it just 13 seconds later. Neither team allowed a point for the remainder of regulation.

Sinclair got the scoring started in OT with a 3-pointer. Western held the lead for nearly all of the initial four minutes of overtime before Gibbs swung the pendulum back to Davidson, 96-95, with two free throws with 58 seconds remaining.
Boggs took a great feed from Kenneth Hall and slammed it home on the ensuing possession to get the lead back. Brooks then made one of two free throws inside of 30 seconds to set up the final possession for the Catamounts.

Western Carolina awaits the winner of Wofford-Georgia Southern for the SoCon title and automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Game time is 9 p.m. Monday in ExploreAsheville.com Arena inside the U.S. Cellular Center. It airs on ESPN2.

 
No. 3 seed Wofford 71, No. 7 seed Georgia Southern 57

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Wofford got off to a fast start, racing past Georgia Southern 71-57 in the semifinals of the 94th Southern Conference Men’s Basketball Championship on Sunday at the U.S. Cellular Center. The Terriers return to the SoCon title game for the first time since 2011.

Lee Skinner led Wofford (19-12) with 15 points, 12 rebounds and five assists. Karl Cochran added 14 points and six boards. Eric Garcia (12), Spencer Collins (11) and C.J. Neumann (10) also posted double digits.

Tre’ Bussey and Brian Holmes paced the Eagles (15-19) with 14 points apiece. Angel Matias led the way on the boards with nine.

The Terriers broke the game open in the first half. Leading by five, they went on a 12-2 run to take a 15-point lead, 23-8, on a Garcia 3-pointer at 9:40. The lead never got back to single digits.

Wofford and Western Carolina will meet Monday for the SoCon title and automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Game time is 9 p.m. in ExploreAsheville.com Arena inside the U.S. Cellular Center. It airs on ESPN2.

-www.SoConSports.com-