ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The Samford Bulldogs claimed a 92-85 overtime win over the VMI Keydets on Friday in first-round action at the Southern Conference Men’s Basketball Championship presented by General Shale. The see-saw affair had 12 ties and 10 lead changes.
Darius Jones-Gibson (25) and Christen Cunningham (21) combined for 46 for the eighth-seeded Bulldogs. Q.J. Peterson led all scorers with 27 for the No. 9 seed Keydets, while Tim Marshall tallied 20.
Marcus Johnson’s free throws with 3:50 remaining in the extra period put Samford up for good. A Phillip Anglade free throw at 1:47 got his Keydets within a point, 80-79.
Cunningham answered with a jumper 21 seconds later before a Peterson free throw made it 82-80 with a 1:15 to play. Matt Rose had the dagger. His triple from in front of his bench at 1:03 made it a five-point game, 85-80.
Peterson’s layup attempt just rolled off. VMI quickly fouled Jones-Gibson with 33 seconds to go. He sank both free throws for the seven-point advantage. The Keydets would get no closer than four the rest of the way.
The Bulldogs made 31 of 36 free throw attempts, good for 86.1 percent. That’s a season high for free tosses made.
Marcus Johnson came off the bench for 16 points and three steals, while Rose netted 15 for the Samford. Anglade scored a season-high 19 and blocked three shots, while Trey Chapman chipped in 11. Peterson added 14 rebounds, six assists and three steals.
Both teams had excellent chances to win in regulation. Anglade’s layup off a fabulous feed from Peterson with just over a minute left knotted the score at 76-all. After a turnover, Peterson’s driving shot in the lane just rolled off. Jones-Gibson went strong to the basket on the baseline in the final seconds, but the iron was unkind to him, as well.
The Bulldogs move on to challenge No. 1 seed Chattanooga at noon on Saturday. The game airs on ESPN3.
No. 7 Mercer 71, No. 10 The Citadel 69
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The seventh-seeded Mercer Bears live to fight another day with a hard-fought 71-69 win over the 10th-seeded Citadel Bulldogs in the first round of the Southern Conference Men’s Basketball Championship presented by General Shale. Stephon Jelks’ layup with 4.9 seconds proved to be the game-winner.
Demetre Rivers tied for game-high honors with 16 points for the Bears, while Phillip Leonard posted a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Derrick Henry matched Rivers’ 16 for the Bulldogs with another 14 from Quayson Williams.
It came down to the final minute. Leonard grabbed a long rebound at the top of the key and went coast-to-coast for the layup and a 69-67 lead with 42.5 to play.
Matt Frierson gathered a Warren Sledge miss and fed the ball to Henry on the wing. He drove to the basket, drawing a foul and tying the score at 69-all with two free throws at 22.1.
The Bears set up offensively. Ethan Stair found Jelks underneath the basket. His lay-in with 4.9 ticks to go made it 71-69. The drama had not ceased.
Sledge drove up the court and was fouled on the right sideline. He stepped to the line with 2.0 on the clock for a one-and-bonus. His first effort rolled off the rim and into Jelks’ grasp for the final two seconds and the tight win.
Mercer trailed by as many as eight in the second half. Quinton Marshall made it a 43-35 Citadel advantage with 18:25 left in the game. A 9-0 run put MU ahead 44-43 on Rivers’ jumper at 15:01. The two squads split the lead before heading into the final minute tied 67-67.
The Bears advance to the quarterfinals to take on the No. 2 seed ETSU. The game airs Saturday on ESPN3 at 2:30 p.m.
-www.SoConSports.com-