No. 9 The Citadel 84, ETSU 76 (OT)
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – No. 9 seed The Citadel made the most of its extra time, defeating No. 8 ETSU 84-76 on Friday in the first round of the 2022 Ingles Southern Conference Men’s Basketball Championship at Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville. Hayden Brown led the Bulldogs with 27 points and 17 rebounds, recording his 12
th double-double of the season.
The Bulldogs advance to play No. 1 Chattanooga in Saturday's quarterfinal round with a 12 p.m. tipoff.
The Bucs and the Bulldogs traded baskets for the first four minutes of the game, until a quick 5-0 spurt from The Citadel gave the Bulldogs their first lead of the game, 12-9. The Bucs didn’t let the Bulldogs hold onto the momentum for long, as ETSU worked its way back to a 22-21 advantage with 10:08 left in the half. Five minutes and several baskets later, the score was knotted at 34-34. In the final 4:29 of the half, The Citadel embarked on a 12-4 run, entering the locker room up 46-38 and with the largest lead either team held to that point.
Brown opened the second half with a fastbreak dunk for the Bulldogs before the Bucs went on an 11-2 run, cutting The Citadel’s lead to 50-49. After five unanswered points from Brown pushed The Citadel’s lead back to six, 55-49, ETSU went on another run, this time taking a 59-55 lead after outscoring The Citadel 10-0. The Bulldogs worked their way back to a slim 67-64 advantage with 3:50 on the clock. In the final minutes of the period, ETSU outscored The Citadel 5-2, tying the game at 69-69.
The Bulldogs scored the first six points in overtime to regain the lead, 75-69, and this time they never relinquished it. With 38 seconds remaining, ETSU cut The Citadel’s lead to three, 77-74, but the Bulldogs were nearly perfect at the charity stripe down the stretch, keeping the game out of reach for the Bucs and working their way to a final score of 84-76.
Tyler Moffe tallied 22 points for The Citadel, while SoCon Freshman of the Year Jason Roche added 14, David Maynard scored 12 and Stephen Clark grabbed 10 rebounds to round out the double-digit efforts for the Bulldogs. Clark also dished out a season-high-tying eight assists.
David Sloan led ETSU’s quintet of double-digit scorers with 17 points, while Ledarrius Brewer and Ty Brewer each added 14 and Jordan King and Mohab Yasser each contributed 11. Yasser and Ty Brewer each pulled down 10 rebounds to lead the Bucs and record double-doubles.
RECORDS: No. 9 The Citadel 13-17 | No. 8 ETSU 15-17
3 STATS TO KNOW
- This marked the 34
th overtime game in Southern Conference tournament history.
- The Citadel shot 45 percent from the field, including 39.1 percent from behind the arc. However, the first half was more fruitful for the Bulldogs as they went 17-for-32 (53 percent) from the field and 8-for-13 (62 percent) from behind the 3-point line.
- ETSU struggled with its 3-point shooting but was bolstered inside. The Bucs scored 48 points in the paint, helping them to record a 42.1 percent from the field for the night.
****
No. 7 Mercer 81, No. 10 Western Carolina 53
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – No. 7 seed Mercer led No. 10 Western Carolina from start to finish, defeating the Catamounts 81-53 on Friday in the first round of the 2022 Ingles Southern Conference Men’s Basketball Championship at Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville. Kamar Robertson notched a season-high 16 points and a career-high 12 rebounds to lead the Bears with a double-double.
The Bears advance to play No. 2 Furman in Saturday's quarterfinal round at 6 p.m.
Mercer came out strong, surging to a 10-1 lead in the first 2:18. A couple of Catamount treys cut the Bears’ lead to 12-7 before Mercer methodically began extending its lead. Over the next 12 minutes, the Bears outscored the Catamounts 26-7 to go up 38-14. An 8-0 Western Carolina spurt slowed Mercer down, but the Bears ultimately entered the locker room with a 43-25 advantage.
After a Catamount 3-pointer opened the second half, the Bears scored 12 unanswered points to take a 55-28 lead with 15:15 left on the clock. Western Carolina continued to fight, using an 11-2 run of its own to cut into Mercer’s lead, 58-39. The Bears kept the Catamounts at bay for the remainder of the game, working their way to a final score of 81-53.
James Glisson III scored 13 points, Jalen Johnson added 11 points and Felipe Haase tallied 10 points to complete the double-digit scoring efforts for Mercer. Shawn Walker Jr. recorded a season-high three steals, helping the Bears score 12 points off Catamount turnovers.
Nicholas Robinson led Western Carolina with 14 points and 12 rebounds, while Cameron Bacote and Vonterius Woolbright each scored 11 points and Joe Petrakis added 10 points. Robinson also dished out a game-high five assists.
RECORDS: No. 7 Mercer 16-16 | No. 10 Western Carolina 11-21
3 STATS TO KNOW
- The Bears shot an outstanding 54.2 percent from the field, including 55.0 percent from behind the 3-point line. Mercer’s 55.0 percent outing behind the arc is its second-best this season.
- Mercer outrebounded Western Carolina 39-31, but the Catamounts outscored the Bears on second-chance points, 10-5.
- The Bears played 12 players and the Mercer bench accounted for 38 points tonight.
2022 Ingles Southern Conference Men’s Basketball Championship
Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville, Asheville, N.C.
Friday, March 4 (ESPN+)
Game 1 - (9) The Citadel 84, (8) ETSU 76
Game 2 - (7) Mercer 81, (10) Western Carolina 53
Saturday, March 5 (ESPN+/Nexstar)
Game 3 - (1) Chattanooga vs. (9) The Citadel, 12 p.m.
Game 4 - (4) Wofford vs. (5) VMI, 2:30 p.m.
Game 5 - (2) Furman vs. (7) Mercer, 6 p.m.
Game 6 - (3) Samford vs. (6) UNCG, 8:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 6 (ESPNU)
Game 7 - Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner, 4 p.m.
Game 8 - Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, 6:30 p.m.
Monday, March 7 (ESPN)
Championship game, 7 p.m.
NOTE: All times Eastern. All games to be broadcast on ESPN+, with the championship game also on Nexstar.
-www.SoConSports.com-