For the first time during the 2020-21 season, there were no games postponed in the Southern Conference, and Saturday produced some great basketball games. Probably the best of those games occurred in Lexington, VA., as the VMI and The Citadel met in what was truly a military classic.
Other games included a Storm Murphy surprise in Chattanooga, as Wofford produced a big second half to come from behind to knock off Chattanooga, and Mercer held off Western Carolina in what turned out to be a thriller in Macon. Furman and Mike Bothwell held off East Tennessee State in a battle of SoCon unbeatens, and for the second time in 48 hours, UNC Greensboro was able to hand Samford its second loss by double digits. Below is a brief look at each game Saturday and updated power rankings following Saturday's action.
VMI 110, The Citadel 103
VMI's Jake Stephens had a career afternoon against The Citadel, posting 33 points and 11 rebounds, while Greg Parham and and Sean Conway added 27 and 25 points, respectively, as the Keydets were able to hold off the high-scoring Bulldogs, 110-103, Saturday afternoon in a SoCon thriller.
Stephens' first 30-point effort of his career was highlighted by an 11-of-22 shooting performance from the field and went 8-of-9 from the charity stripe. For Parham, it was his third 20-point effort of the season, and Conway posted career-highs in both points and and rebounds, bringing down 13 boards.
The Keydets improved to 7-6 overall and evened their SoCon record to 2-2, bouncing back from what was a heartbreaking 82-80 loss at home to Wofford last week.
The Bulldogs were led in the contest by the SoCon's three-point leader Kaiden Rice, who posted 29 points and had seven triples in the losing effort. The Keydets turned in an impressive performance from the foul line, converting 26-of-30 attempts from the charity stripe, and 14-of-16 from the line over the final six minutes to get the win. The Bulldogs fashioned a 22-of-32 performance from the charity stripe in the contest.
VMI held a 52-46 lead at the break, and increased that lead to as much as 15 points, at 82-67, with 9:04 remaining. However, the Bulldogs would chip away at the lead, getting to within six, at 106-100, with Hayden Brown layup with 24 seconds to play. After a pair Conway free throws made it an eight-point game, the Bulldogs would cut it to five on a three-pointer by Brent Davis, but could get no closer, as the Keydets held on for the seven-point win by hitting its foul shots down the stretch.
Mercer 78, Western Carolina 76
Another great game on Saturday afternoon took place at Hawkins Arena in Macon, GA., as Western Carolina and Mercer dueled in one of the better game's of the afternoon in Southern Conference play, as Mercer held off Western Carolina, 78-76, Saturday afternoon to capture its first Southern Conference win.
With the win, the Bears improved to 8-4 overall and 1-3 in SoCon action, while the Catamounts, who were playing their first game in two weeks due to COVID protocols, fell to 7-4 and 0-2 in SoCon play.
In the opening half of play, Mercer led by as many as 21 points with 3:33 remaining until halftime, however, the Catamounts went on a 12-2 run over a 2:38 span to shave 10 points off the Bears' lead, making it a 46-35 Bears lead at the half. The Beats never let the Catamounts lead, holding the lead 37:18, while the game was tied for 2:42.
Maciej Bender had a career day, posting a career-high 22 points in the game. The 6-11 forward had five dunks in the first seven minutes of the second half, as the Bears assumed a 56-39 lead with 13:21 remaining. However, the Catamounts would slowly chip away at the Mercer lead from there and with 2:08 remaining, the Catamounts were able to cut the Bears lead to just five, at 74-69, and a minute later, tied the game, as Mason Faulkner's two charity shots tied the game, 74-74.
However, they say big time players make big time plays in big time games. That player for Mercer on Saturday was Leon Ayers III, who drew a foul on Catamount forward Tyler Harris, and Ayers III stepped the line and gave Mercer the lead for good by knocking down a pair of free throws to make it a 76-74 lead, which the Bears would not relinquish the remainder of the game.
On the next possession, Patrick Urey, who played a season-high 22 minutes in the contest, rebounded Xavier Cork's missed shot with 14 seconds remaining. Urey then drew a foul and calmly knocked down a pair of free throws to make it a 78-74 game. Western added a layup to produce the final margin, as the Bears held on for the two-point win.
Mercer point guard Neftali Alvarez led the Bears with 24 points, while Mason Faulkner led all scorers in the matchup by posting 25.
Wofford 77, Chattanooga 59
Wofford's third-straight win of the season saw the Terriers post maybe their most-explosive half of the season, as the Terriers avenged one of their worst road performances of a year ago by getting a 77-59 on the road at Chattanooga.
The win saw the Terriers improve to 8-4 overall and 5-1 in the Southern Conference, while Chattanooga fell to 11-4 overall and 2-4 in league play. It gave the Terriers a 4-0 start to Southern Conference play, marking the first time that has happened since the Terriers went an unbeaten 18-0 in the SoCon regular-season en route to the regular-season crown a couple of years ago.
The Terriers trailed 35-22 at the break, and for a second-straight season, it looked as if McKenzie Arena would once again play host to one of Wofford's worst shooting performances. However, the Terriers would flip the script on the Mocs in the second half, scoring its most points (55) it has scored in any half so far this season. Putting that in perspective, the Terriers' three-game winning streak began with a 48-46 win on the road at UNC Greensboro.
The Terriers ended up out-scoring the Mocs by 31 points in the second half alone, posting 55-24 advantage in the second half alone. Senior point guard Storm Murphy was one of Saturday's top performers around the SoCon, as he recorded what was his fifth 20-point performance of the season, posting a game-high 23 points, as he connected on 7-of-19 shots from the field, which included connecting on three triples and going a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line. With his three long range efforts in the win, Murphy moved into the top 10 in school history for three-pointers made.
Murphy wasn't the only Terrier that did damage in the contest, as freshman Morgan Safford posted 19 points and seven rebounds, while Tray Hollowell finished the contest with 10 points to round out the Terriers in double figures in the contest.
UTC finished the contest with four players in double figures, with Malachi Smith leading the way with 15 points and seven boards, while David Jean-Baptiste added 13 points. Josh Ayeni and Stefan Kenic rounded out the Mocs in double figures with 11 points apiece.
The Terriers owned a commanding a 42-31 advantage on the backboards and held a 15-6 advantage in second-chance points.
UNCG 82, Samford 70
For the second time in a 48-hour span, the UNC Greensboro Spartans showed their superiority against the Samford Bulldogs at the Pete Hanna Center in Birmingham by posting their second-straight double-digit win on the road. It was UNCG's ninth-straight win over Samford
With the win, the Spartans ran their record to 8-5 overall and 3-2 in league play, while Samford fell to 5-7 overall and 1-4 in league play. The Spartans, who have struggled shooting the ball from the perimeter at times this season, connected on a season-high 11 triples in the win.
After an 87-63 win over the Bulldogs in the first of two meetings between the two on Thursday night, the Spartans used a strong start to the second half, which included a 13-3 start to the frame, taking command of the scoreboard to take a 52-43 lead after trailing by a 40-39 margin at the break. But Samford would rally back to make it a two-point game with just under five minutes left on a Richardson Maitre three-pointer.
However, the Spartans answered with an 11-0 run, and that was that, as the Bulldogs never threatened again, as the Spartans ended the game on a 13-4 run two close out the SoCon victory strong.
SoCon reigning Player of the Year Isaiah Miller put together another stellar performance, posting 20 points, marking his 14th-straight game in double figures and his 30th in his last 31 outings. Keyshaun Langley--the league's reigning co-Freshman of the Year--also had a big afternoon by posting 19 points, including 14 in the second half, as the UNCG backcourt played a big role in the win for the Spartans.
Furman 78, East Tennessee State 66
Opportunities don’t come that often for mid-major programs like Furman and East Tennessee State, but when they do, and the game is before a national television audience, it’s important to take advantage of the moment. It’s not only a moment for the current players, but for all those that game before.
“Since we got back from Citadel, Coach Richey was telling us this game wasn’t for us. This game was to show everybody watching us on ESPNU for the first time what our brand of basketball is about. This game was for Jordan Lyons, Matt Rafferty, Daniel Fowler and all those guys that came before us. I think we showed a great brand of Furman basketball,” Mike Bothwell said.
It was Bothwell who made the most of the opportunity, as he scored a career-high 32 points, and Furman moved into sole possession of first place in the Southern Conference, with a 78-66, win over East Tennessee State Saturday afternoon at Timmons Arena.
With the win, the Paladins improved to 10-3 overall and remained unbeaten in Southern Conference play, at 4-0, while ETSU dropped to 6-5 overall and 2-1 in league action following the loss.
The win marked the 19th-straight at Timmons Arena, and was also the 70th in the facility since the start of the 2015-16 season, as Furman improved to 70-11 in the facility over that span. Additionally, it was also Furman’s 70th Southern Conference win since the start of that same season, which is second to only ETSU’s 73 league wins during that same span.
It was the typical intensity you get when the Paladins and Bucs meet on the college basketball hardwood, and for about 35 minutes on Saturday afternoon at Timmons Arena, neither team could find much separation from the other.
The game featured 11 ties and 16 lead changes before Furman was able create some cushion between it and the Bucs over the final 10 minutes. From that point, the Paladins never let ETSU take more than a three-point lead the rest of the way.
With 10:02 remaining, ETSU point guard David Sloan connected on 1-of-2 foul shots to give the Bucs a 58-57 lead. However, it would prove to be the Bucs’ final lead of the game, as Bothwell scored 13 of 21 points for the Paladins over the final 10 minutes, as the Paladins closed on a 21-8 run to finish with the 12-point win.
“We talk about kills, which is getting three-consecutive stops on the defense end, and we didn’t have any of those in the first half, but in the final 10 minutes of the game tonight we ended up getting three,” head coach Bob Richey said.
The Bucs, who were without leading scorer LeDarrius Brewer, got the most of his supporting cast, which included players like Vonnie Patterson and Damari Monsanto--who were two of the three members of a Bucs team that won 30 games and a SoCon Tournament title a year ago--were a significant part of an 8-0 run, which included a steal and dunk from Vonnie Patterson, giving the Bucs 52-47 lead with 12:17 remaining.
Clay Mounce stepped up and made maybe the biggest shot of the night for the Paladins from the left corner, bringing the Paladins within two points, at 52-50, with 12:03 left.
Alex Hunter had another one of bigger shots of the night, and on a night when Noah Gurley was 0-of-8 from the field and held scoreless, it was not only Bothwell’s career night that helped compensate for that lack of offense, but also Mounce, Jalen Slawson and Hunter.
Hunter’s triple from the left elbow that helped the Paladins open up a seven-point, 71-64, lead with 3:49 left. Bothwell’s triple with 1:26 remaining all but made the game academic, giving the Paladins a 76-66 lead. Bothwell added a layup with 10 seconds remaining to set the final margin, as he scored the final seven points on his career night for the Paladins.
Furman took a 37-35 lead into the halftime locker room, as the opening half featured 12 lead changes and nine ties, as Mike Bothwell connected on a left elbow three-pointer with 13 seconds remaining in the half. Bothwell was tied with game-high honors along with ETSU’s Serrel Smith, as both had 10 points at the break.
The junior from Cleveland Heights, OH, connected on 11-of-19 shots from the field, including going 2-for-8 from three-point range in the win. Bothwell also added five rebounds, two assists, and a steal. It was Bothwell’s sixth game of 20 or more points this season.
Bothwell was one of four Paladins in double figures in the contest, as he was joined by Hunter (15 pts), Mounce (14 pts), and Slawson (11 pts). Mounce ended up leading the Paladins with nine rebounds, as he narrowly missed a double-double. Gurley did not score, but dished out a career-high six assists, as the Paladins finished with 16 assists. Gurley also led the Paladins with two steals.
Furman shot 51.8% (29-of-56) from the field and 30.8% (8-of-26) from three-point land. The Paladins shot a blistering 62.5% (15-of-24) in the second half. The Paladins ended the night holding advantages in points in the paint (40-28), second-chance points (18-8), total rebounds (35-30) and assists (16-12).
The Bucs ended up with five finishing in double figures, with three players ending the afternoon with 13 points. Smith, Patterson and Sloan all finished the contest with 13 for the Bucs, while Ty Brewer added 12 and Monsanto finished with 11.
ETSU ended the contest by connecting on 45.6% (26-of-57), but struggled shooting the ball from three-point land, connecting on just 20.0% (4-of-20) from three-point land.
The Bucs finished the contest by holding advantages in points off turnovers (21-15), bench points (15-6), and fast-break points (4-2).
The Paladins may have only gotten six points from its bench, but it was the little things that Furman did, particularly guys like Joe Anderson and Marcus Foster off the Furman bench. Foster’s activity on the defensive end was intense, and he had an important assist to Garrett Hien in the second half, while Joe Anderson had slashing driving layup in the opening half of play that helped the Paladins keep pace with a game-ready ETSU club.
“We’ve challenged those guys (the bench) a little bit and shown them some things that outside sources have said about them just because we want them to understand to be ready to play and come with an edge about them,” Richey said.
SoCon Power Rankings Following Saturday's Action
1. Furman (10-3, 4-0 SoCon)--Tough week ahead for the Paladins, who face both VMI (Jan. 20) and ETSU (Jan. 23) on the road.
2. East Tennessee State (6-5, 2-1)--Bucs did enough to prove themselves worthy without LeDarrius Brewer at Timmons Arena yesterday
3. Wofford (8-4, 5-1)--Wofford's explosiveness in the second half yesterday with 55 points was impressive
4. UNC Greensboro (8-5, 3-2 SoCon)--Spartans starting to find some rhythm, and Miller finally has some help from Allegri and Langley
5. Mercer (8-4, 1-3 SoCon)-Mercer needs to show some more consistency, but Neftali Alvarez will keep them in the title race
6. VMI (7-6, 2-2 SoCon)--When the Keydets shoot it well, they can beat anyone
7. Chattanooga (11-4, 2-4)--Mocs have had trouble getting a consistent roster of players together, but the addition of Darius Banks is huge.
8. Western Carolina (7-4, 0-2 SoCon)--WCU started to find itself yesterday after digging a deep hole vs. Mercer on the road
9. The Citadel (8-2, 1-2 SoCon)--Bulldogs had a tough pair of losses against rivals Furman and VMI this week
10. Samford (5-7, 1-4)--After winning its SoCon opener vs. VMI, Bucky McMillan's squad has struggled
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