SoCon League Play Recaps and Notes
WEEK 1 RECAPS: (JAN. 1-8, 9)
Furman (13-1, 1-0 SoCon) 90, Western Carolina (5-7,
0-1 SoCon) 61
Jan. 1, 2025/Cullowhee, N.C.
Liston B. Ramsey Center (1,276)
Series Following
Result: Furman now leads the all-time
series between the two, 57-31/The Paladins have won 18 of the past 20 meetings
in the series
Furman had six players finish in double figures,
as Nick Anderson led the way with 20 points, while Charles Johnston added 17
off the bench and the Paladins recorded what was their largest win ever in Cullowhee
in 41 all-time meetings with the Catamounts. Furman got off to a strong start,
scoring the game’s first 13 points and never looked back in getting the win.
The win saw the Paladins improve to 13-1
overall, marking their best start to a season since the 1931-32 season. The
Catamounts finished with three players in double figures in the setback, with Bernard
Pelote leading the way with a double-double of 17 points and 12 rebounds.
Brandon Morgan added 14 points, while Chevalier Ice Emery finished with 13. WCU
fell to 4-8 overall and 0-1 in league play.
East Tennessee State (8-6, 1-0 SoCon) 84, VMI (6-8,
0-1 SoCon) 69
Jan. 1, 2025/Johnson City, TN
Freedom Hall (3,302 Attn)
Series Following Result: ETSU leads 60-15/The
Bucs have now won 29 of the past 31 between the two in the series
--John Buggs III posted a career-high 33 points
and made 10 of the Bucs’ school-record 17 three-point field goals, while Jaden
Seymour became just the third Buccaneer to ever record a triple-double, as ETSU
outlasted VMI, 84-69, in Johnson City to open the New Year and conference play
in style.
The Bucs, who lost four out of their final five
to close non-conference play, were without the services of Karon Boyd, who missed
the game with an injury, and improved to 8-6 overall and 1-0 in league play.
The Keydets fell to 6-8 overall and 0-1 in league action.
Buggs finished as the highest scoring Bucs
player in a game since Jordan King scored 44 points back during the 2022-23
season in an early league win at The Citadel. The North Texas graduate finished
11-of-18 shooting from the field, which included a 10-for-16 from three-point
range. His 10 three-point field goals were one of the school record of 11 previously
set back in a late season league win over Western Carolina, which clinched the
2019-20 regular-season title for the Bucs.
Meanwhile, Seymour posted his triple double on
18 points, 10 rebounds and dished out 10 assists. His triple-double performance
joins former Bucs Courtney Pigram and Tim Smith as the only players to
accomplish the rare feat in program history. The win marked the 29th
win in the last 31 meetings by the Bucs against VMI, as ETSU ran its series
advantage to 60-15 all-time against the Keydets.
ETSU assumed what appeared to be a comfortable 35-19
lead before the Keydets made a 19-3 surge, tying the game 38-38 at the half. The
Keydets took their only lead of the game at 40-38 after making the most of
having the most of having the opening possession of the second half. Leading,
52-49, the Bucs would eventually assume the upper hand in the game by scoring
11 of the
next 14 points to assume a 63-52 lead with 9:11
remaining. The Bucs were never really threatened again, as they would never let
the Keydets get within nine the rest of the way.
The Keydets were paced in the game by guards Rickey
Bradley and Linus Holmstrom, who both finished with 14 points. The Bucs shot a sizzling
56% in the second half and 48.4% for the game. ETSU’s 17-of-40 mark from
three-point range to end the day shooting 42.5% from three. VMI finished the
day connecting on 42.3% from the field and 41.2% from three-point land. The
Bucs outscored the Keydets 51-21 from long range.
Mercer (8-6, 1-0 SoCon) 99, Chattanooga (8-6,
0-1 SoCon) 94 (OT)
Jan. 1, 2025/Macon, GA
Hawkins Arena (1,544 ATN)
Series Following Result: Chattanooga leads 47-42/The
Mercer win snapped a six-game winning streak in the series by Chattanooga; It
was Mercer’s first win over Chattanooga since an 81-77 overtime victory over
the Mocs at Hawkins Arena on Feb. 24, 2021
In the most thrilling game of the opening
afternoon of SoCon Hoops on New Year’s Day, Mercer produced the minor upset by
outlasting visiting Chattanooga, 99-94, in overtime, as Bears head coach Ryan
Ridder notched his first Southern Conference win as the Mercer head coach.
For much of the afternoon, it was the Tyler “Chip”
Johnson and Ahmad Robinson show, as the star guard tandem combined to score 51
of the Bears’ 99 points in the win. Johnson would lead the way with 26 points,
while Ahmad Robinson finished the afternoon with 25. Also registering
double-figure scoring performances in the win for the Bears were both Cam Bryant
and Alex Holt, who finished with 17 and 14 points, respectively.
The Mocs finished the contest with four in double
figures to match the Bears, as Frank Champion led the way for Chattanooga with
24 points, while Bash Wieland added 19 and Jack Kostel and Trey Bonham both
added 11 points apiece.
Champion would tie the game with 0.9 seconds
remaining after connecting on a driving layup to tie the score, 85-85, sending
the game into the extra five minutes of basketball. It was part of what had
been a near-miraculous come-from-behind win for the Mocs, who trailed 85-81,
with only 11 seconds remaining in the contest. Trey Bonham made a layup to get
the Mocs to within a pair, and after helping force a jump-ball situation with
the possession arrow favoring the Mocs, it would set the stage for some UTC
late-game heroics. Champion would then tie the game on a running layup with
under a second left, taking the game into an extra session.
In the extra five minutes, however, it would be
Mercer that would end up having the last laugh, as the Bears were able to outscore
the Mocs 14-9 in the extra five minutes of basketball to escape with the win.
The opening half of basketball would see-saw
back-and-forth, with the Bears taking a 42-37 lead into the half, using a late
10-0 run to go ahead by five, and then were able to hold that lead steady going
into the break.
The Mocs got off to a strong start in the
second half, eventually retaking the lead when Garrison Kesslar converted a
layup with 15:33 remaining, giving UTC the 54-52 lead.
However, Mercer would respond and battle back
to take a 57-56 lead on an Ahmad Robinson triple at the 12:54 mark. The lead
would change hands three times over the next nine minutes before a Robinson
foul shot gave the Bears a 75-74 lead with just over three minutes remaining.
The Bears would extend their lead to seven, at 81-74, after a Tyler Johnson triple
and two more Ahmad Robinson charity shots, giving Mercer the seven-point lead
with just 71 seconds left.
Wieland made a layup and Champion converted a
pair of foul shots to get the Mocs to within three, at 81-78, with 48 seconds
remaining. And after Ahmad Robinson knocked down a pair of foul shots with 37
second left, the Bears were seemingly comfortably ahead by five once more, but
a Bonham three just 14 seconds later kept the Mocs too close for complete
comfort. Johnson was fouled with 11 seconds left and pushed the Mercer lead
back to four, at 85-81.
However, Bonham made a layup, forced a jump
ball and then Champion tied the game on a running layup in the lane to tie the
game, 85-85.
Early in overtime, Johnson connected on a pair
of foul shots to put the Bears back on top, 89-87, however, Chattanooga would
pull even when Champion connected on a jumper in the paint on the ensuing
offensive trip down the floor.
A three-pointer by Cam Bryant was followed by a
Trey Bonham missed three for UTC. Alex Holt then connected on a jumper on his
next trip down the floor, giving the Bears a five-point lead, at 94-89, with
1:22 left. After Champion answered with a layup for the Mocs to cut the Mercer
lead to three, the Mocs would get a stop, however, Champion missed a layup and
Jah Quinones was immediately fouled on the rebound. Quinones knocked down 1-of-2
from the line, leaving the score 95-91 in favor of the Bears.
From there, Champion would continue his strong
day at the office, as his three with 13 seconds left hit nothing but the bottom
of the net to bring UTC within a single point, at 95-94. However, the Bears were
able to hit their final four free throws, while holding the Mocs scoreless the
rest of the way to hold on for the thrilling win.
In what was the 48th all-time league opener for
the gold standard program Chattanooga (12 SoCon Titles), the Mocs fell to 27-21
in league openers, including 10-14 in league road openers. The Mocs have now
lost their last five road opener in SoCon play. The Mocs extended their streak of
games with five or made three-pointers to 82 under Dan Earl, which is the
second-longest active streak in the NCAA.
Samford (11-3, 1-0 SoCon) 86, The Citadel (5-7,
0-1 SoCon) 56
Jan. 1, 2025/Homewood, AL
Pete Hanna Center (1,048 ATN)
Series Following Result: Samford now leads 19-14/The
Samford Bulldogs have now six-straight in the series
The only game to be as anticlimactic as Furman’s
trip to Cullowhee to take on Western Carolina to open Southern Conference play
was when Samford hosted The Citadel at the Pete Hanna Center in the league’s
lone night game on the opening day of league play, as the Bulldogs racked up a
26th-straight win at the Pete with a convincing 86-56 win over The Citadel.
Leading another comprehensive display for
Samford was talented transfer portal addition Trey Fort, as he led the way for
the hometown Bulldogs by finishing with 19 points, leading three Samford
players in double figures in the contest. Fort was on fire out of the gates,
connecting on his first five shots from the field before finishing the game by
totaling his 19 on 7-of-14 shooting from the field, which included a 5-for-10
effort from three-point land.
Fort would be joined in double figures by senior
point guard Rylan Jones, who posted 18 points in 21 minutes of floor action,
while also dishing out a team-high six assists to go with three rebounds. All
18 of Jones’ points came from long range, as he finished the night against The Citadel
connected on 6-of-9 shots from beyond the arc. Jaden Brownell rounded out
Samford’s double-figure scorers with 13 points.
The Bulldogs shot a solid 46.8% (29-of-62),
which included connecting on an impressive 42.9% (18-of-41) from three-point
range in the win. Meanwhile, Samford was also excellent on the defensive end of
the floor, holding The Citadel to just 39.1% (18-of-46) from the field, including
just 31.8% (7-of-22) from three-point range.
The Citadel was led in scoring in the contest by
two players in double figures, as Colby McCalister came off the bench to score
12 points on 3-of-7 shooting from the field and 3-for-7 shooting from three-point
range. He also connected on 3-of-5 from the charity stripe. Brody Fox was the
only other Bulldogs player in double figures, adding 10.
After holding a 41-27 lead at the half, Samford
would connect on 10-of-18 three-pointers in the second half, outscoring the
visiting Bulldogs 45-29 in the second half to equal what was the SoCon’s most lopsided
game on the opening night of league play. It was exactly how Bucky McMillan and
the defending Southern Conference Champions would have drawn it up.
UNCG (8-6, 1-0 SoCon) 68, Wofford (6-8, 0-1
SoCon) 66
Jan. 1, 2025/Spartanburg, S.C.
Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium (918 ATN)
Series Following
Result: Wofford leads 32-25/The Spartans
have won three-straight and five of the past six in the series
A game that would have certainly rivaled that
of the Chattanooga-Mercer contest on the opening day of SoCon Hoops play in 2025
is the one between Wofford and UNCG, which would see the Spartans edge the Terriers,
68-66, on a key late three-pointer by Ronald Polite III to open up league play
in strong fashion.
Trailing 66-65, Polite found himself wide open
on the wing with 10 seconds left and the George Mason transfer would connect
from downtown, as his shot would put the Spartans on top 68-66 with 10 seconds
remaining. Following a timeout for Wofford head coach Dwight Perry to set up a
play, Corey Tripp, who surpassed the 1,000-point milestone for his career
during the contest, couldn’t convert a contested layup and the a wild scramble
for the loose ball would eventually run out the remaining time on the clock, as
the Spartans closed out a big SoCon road win.
The Spartans were led in the contest by both Polite
III and Demetrius Davis, who paced the Spartans with 16 points apiece, while Radford
transfer Kenyon Giles added 12. Wofford would be paced by Tripp’s 17 points en
route to reaching the 1,000-point milestone, while Kyler Filewich continued his
strong play of late, adding a double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds.
Tripp finished the contest connecting on
6-of-16 shots from the field, which included a 4-for-6 effort from three-point
range. Polite finished his first afternoon of the 2025 calendar year by
connecting on 6-of-9 shots from the field and was a perfect 4-for-4 from long range.
Teammate Demetrius Davis, who is a graduate transfer from Chattanooga, finished
the evening connecting on 6-of-12 shots from the field and connected on 3-of-7
shots from beyond the arch.
For the game, Wofford connected on 44.1% (24-of-54)
from the field and 39.1% (9-of-23) from long range. UNCG, which shot a season-worst
29.1% in the opening half, rebounded to finish the game by connecting on 38.6% (22-of-57)
from the field and also connected on 37.5% (9-of-24) from three-point land.
Despite struggling to find their range in the opening half of play, the Spartans
went to the half trailing by only seven, as Wofford held a 28-21 advantage at
the intermission. The second half of the contest would be reserved for the most
drama, as the final 10 minutes of the game would see 10 lead changes.
Gameday 2: Jan. 4, 2025
UNCG (9-6, 2-0 SoCon) 84, Furman (13-2, 1-1
SoCon) 66
Jan. 4, 2025/Greensboro, N.C.
First North Coliseum (1,006 ATN)
Series Following
Result: UNCG leads 26-21/Have now won five of the last six games against
Paladins
UNC Greensboro’s Kenyon Giles scored a
game-high 25 points, and the Spartans shot a blistering 57.4% (31-for-54) for
the game, including 52.2% (12-of-23) from three-point range, cooling off
red-hot Furman, 84-66, Saturday afternoon in the Spartans’ SoCon home opener at
the First North Coliseum.
UNCG went from its worst shooting half on the
road at Wofford in the SoCon opening win over the Terriers (shot 29.1%) to
shooting its top percentage in the opening half of a game at home against
Furman (shot 60.1%), as the Spartans took what was a 43-32 lead into the
halftime locker room.
En route to his game-high 25 points, Giles reached
a milestone for his career, surpassing the 1,000-plateau en route to leading
the Spartans to their fifth win in the last six meetings with the Paladins. Giles
powered a UNCG offense that shot the ball at a 57.4% (31-of-54) clip for the
game, which included a 52.2% effort from three-point range (12-of-23), as well
as outscoring the Paladins 36-27 from beyond the arc—a stat that Furman rarely
if ever loses in a game. The Paladins have given up 80 or more points this
season on two occasions this season, with both of those resulting in losses.
The 84 points scored by UNCG were a season-high against an NCAA Division I
foe.
Individually for Giles, he showed why he is one
of the SoCon’s top players and newcomers, as he finished the connecting on
10-of-13 shots from the field, including making 5-of-6 from three-point range.
He also added five rebounds, dished out four assists and recorded a steal.
Giles was joined in double figures by fellow
transfer portal addition Ronald Polite III, who contributed 18 points on 5-of-9
shooting from the field and 3-for-4 shooting from long range. In addition,
Polite III knocked down 5-of-7 shots from the charity stripe. All told, Giles
and Polite combined to go 8-of-10 from three-point range, while the rest of the
team connected on 4-for-13 from long range.
For a second-straight season, Joryam Saizonou
came off the bench to provide the Spartans with 11 points, as he posted a
season-high 13 points against Furman last season in UNCG’s early-January
11-point win over the Paladins at the First Horizon Coliseum.
The Paladins had just one player reach double
figures in the contest, as senior guard PJay Smith Jr. notched his sixth
20-plus scoring performance of the season, as well as his 10th double-figure
scoring outing in 13 games so far this season, finishing with 24 points. In the
loss, Smith Jr. connected 8-of-16 shots from the field and went 4-for-11 from
three-point land. He made all four of his free throws and contributed a rebound
and an assist.
While for much of the night it seemed like the
Spartans couldn’t miss open looks, and even made some contested ones, the
Paladins struggled to find their shooting rhythm from any range, as the
Paladins finished the contest connecting on just 39.3% (22-of-56) from the
field for the game, while making only
For much of the season, Furman has had answers
in games when it seemingly shouldn’t have, however, on Saturday evening when it
needed answers, it couldn’t find the ammo to load its guns effectively. In the
first half, Furman got the shots it wanted, however, the problem was when they
fired them, they were blanks.
The second half saw UNCG step up its defensive
grit and effort, however, even at that, the Paladins trimmed it to eight points
on two but failed on four attempts to cut into that deficit even further,
however. The Paladins came away only with empty possessions with chances to cut
into that UNCG lead and make things interesting. Mike Jones’ teams have a knack
for holding their own in those moments, never letting the hard-charging foe
faced with a deficit get completely back into the game, and in those moments,
UNCG’s defensive acumen was top-notch.
In the opening few minutes, it appeared that
both PJay Smith Jr and Kenyon Giles were playing with each other one-on-one, as
Smith scored Furman’s first eight, while Giles would tally UNCG’s first four.
From there, others would settle into the scoring for the Spartans, while
Furman, which has found scoring from a lot of different places this season,
couldn’t find that scoring outside of Smith all evening.
In fact, Furman, which came into the game with
11 different double-figure scorers this season, had only one in a game for the
first time season, and finished a game with only one. Even in its loss at
Kansas earlier this season, both Eddrin Bronson (14 pts) and Garrett Hien (12
pts) both scratched out double-figure scoring performances. In stark
contrast to its second SoCon game, the Paladins had six players finish in
double figures in their 29-point road-opening win at Western Carolina.
The Paladins were leading 9-7 after a Garrett
Hien made foul shot before the Spartans would commence a 10-0 run to completely
take control of the game, with the scoring run beginning with a pair of Malik
Henry foul shots and end with a Giles three-pointer at the 13:09 mark of the
opening frame to prompt a Bob Richey timeout.
The Spartans would eventually head into the
halftime locker room with a 43-32, marking the third time the Paladins had
trailed by 11 this season. The Paladins trailed games to both Kansas and
Florida Gulf-Coast by 11 points at the half, going 1-1 in those games. This
game would trend towards the Kansas game rather than the FGCU contest.
Early in the second half, the Paladins sliced
the UNCG lead to eight after Hien converted a layup in the paint, however,
while the Spartans’ response was not immediate, it was a swift and decisive and
just over a minute later a Giles layup in the paint extended the UNCG lead back
to double digits, at 49-39, at the 15:39 mark. From there, the Spartans would
fatten their lead to 19 points over roughly the next three minutes, with a
Saizonou layup in the paint extending the UNCG lead to 19, at 61-42, with 12:41
remaining in the game.
The Paladins would never get closer than 12
points the rest of the way, with the Spartans extending their lead to as many
as 21 points on two occasions, with the latest of those coming following a
Roland Polite III three-pointer with 4:16 remaining, which gave the Blue and
Gold a 78-57 lead.
Wofford (7-8, 1-1 SoCon) 81, ETSU (8-7, 1-1
SoCon) 78
Jan. 4, 2025/Johnson City, TN
Freedom Hall (4,107 /Attn)
Series Following Result: ETSU now leads the series
42-19/The Bucs are now 6-5 in the last 11 meetings with the Terriers, and prior
to Saturday’s loss to the Terriers, had won 13 of the past 18 and four of the
past five over Wofford in Johnson City.
Wofford was able to hold off a furious rally
from East Tennessee State late in the contest and took home a key SoCon road
win with an 81-78 verdict in front of better than 4,100 fans on-hand at Freedom
Hall.
The result sees the Terriers improve to 7-8 overall
and 1-1 in Southern Conference action, while the Bucs dropped to 8-7 overall
and 1-1 in league action.
A key 20-4 run to open the second half was what
helped fuel the Terriers win on the road in one of the league’s toughest road
venues, as the Terriers were able to overcome what was a five-point, 39-34, halftime
deficit to come away with the win. The key run to open the second half saw
Wofford connect on its first nine shots from the field to take what was a
double-digit lead, as the Terriers overturned what was a five-point deficit at
the break to assume a 54-43 lead following a Jackson Sivills three-pointer with
15:39 remaining in the game.
Wofford would maintain a healthy 7–12-point lead
over roughly the next 14 minutes of game time, and after Corey Tripp’s foul
shot with 1:50 remaining, it looked as though the Terriers would be able to
coast to the win. That’s when, much like the SoCon semifinal win over
Chattanooga last March in Asheville, the Bucs would turn up the pressure and
would make things interesting down the stretch, as ETSU would commence to go on
an 8-1 run over the next 1:28 to get within 79-78 following a Gabe Sisk made
foul shot.
During the run, the Bucs got a pair of free
throws from Quimari Peterson, a made jumper from John Buggs III, and a made
foul foul shots from Peterson and Sisk on two different trips to the charity
stripe, getting ETSU to within 79-78 with just 22 seconds remaining. The lone
point from Wofford during the 1:28 stretch came on a Jeremy Lorenz foul shot
with 31 seconds remaining.
With the Terriers clinging to a 79-78 lead and
struggling to get the ball inbounds against the Bucs feisty press, the Bucs fouled
Lorenz again with 21 seconds left. He missed both shots of the double-bonus,
leaving the door open for ETSU. Following a timeout with 11 seconds left, ETSU
had a play set up in the paint for Jaden Seymour, however, he couldn’t convert
the half-hook in the lane from about 12-feet out and Sivills came up with the
rebound with six seconds remaining. Sivills would make the first to push the Wofford
lead to two, however, he missed the second, but thankfully for the Terriers, Tripp
was “Johnny on the Spot” for the offensive rebound and the ball was quickly passed
to Luke Flynn in an attempt to run the remaining seconds off the clock.
Flynn was fouled by Buggs and he would go to
the stripe and knock down his second free throw on the two-shot bonus, giving
the Terriers an 81-78 lead with just 1.2 seconds remaining. The Bucs were
unable to get off a shot to try and tie the game, as Karon Boyd’s inbounds pass
was deflected, and the final second ran off the clock and the Terriers celebrated
in unison the big SoCon road win. It was the second loss of the season on the
home hardwood for the Bucs, who also fell on their home floor in the
non-conference to Eastern Kentucky by a similar scoreline on that occasion, dropping
an 82-78 contest to the Colonels.
Wofford finished the game with four players
finishing in double figures, with guard Dillion Bailey finishing the contest with
a team-high 18 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field and a 3-for-5 effort
from long-range. Forward Kyler Filewich chipped in with 16 points and eight
boards, while Jackson Sivills added 15 off the bench. Rounding out the Terriers
in double figures in the road win was Corey Tripp, who posted 11 points and
dished out a team-high five assists.
The Bucs finished the contest with three tallying
double-figure scoring efforts, with Quimari Peterson’s 18 points leading the
way for ETSU, while John Buggs III added 16 and Jaden Seymour added 14 points.
Peterson connected on 5-of-8 shots from the field and 2-for-4 from long-range,
while also going 6-for-11 from the free throw line. Peterson and Buggs led ETSU
with four assists apiece, while Seymour led ETSU on the backboards with seven
rebounds.
Wofford would outscore the Bucs 47-39 in the second
half on the strength of shooting an impressive 65% (15-of-23) from the field,
and that helped the Terriers end the game with an impressive 61.7% (29-of-47)
shooting clip.
The two teams will return to SoCon action on Wednesday
night, with ETSU set to head to Hawkins Arena in Macon, GA., to take on former
Atlantic Sun rival Mercer (9-6, 2-0 SoCon), with tip-off set for 7 p.m. Wofford
returns to the hardwood on Wednesday evening, hosting Western Carolina (4-9,
0-2 SoCon) in a 7 p.m. EST contest at the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium.
Samford (12-3, 2-0 SoCon) 88, Western Carolina
(4-9, 0-2 SoCon) 69
Jan. 4, 2025/Cullowhee, N.C.
Liston B. Ramsey Center (2,798 ATN)
Series Following Result: Samford now holds a
19-14 all-time series edge and increased its series winning streak to eight
games against the Catamounts.
Samford was able to get off to a 2-0 start in
Southern Conference play by notching its second lopsided win in as many league
games, posting a convincing 88-69 win over Western Carolina at the Liston B.
Ramsey Center.
The Catamounts played well early on in the
contest, and were the clear aggressors and took a five-point lead midway through
the frame, as Cord Stansberry’s triple would give the Purple and Gold a 22-17
lead at the 10:17 mark of the opening half of play. However, the Bulldogs had
recovered quickly, a quick 10-0 run would give Samford the lead back by five,
as a Jaden Brownell layup at the 8:07 mark of the half would give the Bulldogs
a 27-22 lead.
The Bulldogs’ lead would see-saw from 2-6
points over the next three minutes until WCU’s Vernon Collins would cut the
Catamount deficit to a single point when on a tip-in with just under five
minutes remaining in the opening frame. Then, the Bulldogs used a quick 7-0
run, which was bookended by Mississippi State transfer guard Trey Fort, who start
the Samford mini-spurt by connecting on one of his three triples in the game
and then would end the Bulldogs’ run by converting a layup in the paint to give
Samford a 38-30 lead with 3:45 left in the opening half.
A minute later Samford took its first double-digit
lead of the half when Julian Brown knocked down a pair of foul shots to give
the Bulldogs a 40-30 lead, and that
would remain the advantage, as the defending SoCon Champions went to half owner’s
of a 44-34 lead. And the Bulldogs would go to the half with the momentum much
like Furman had in WCU’s SoCon opener following a PJay Smith Jr. banked in
three-pointer, as this time the Bulldogs used a layup by Josh Holloway at the
buzzer to take old “Mo” into the locker room.
By the time the two teams went to their
respective benches for the first media timeout of the second half, however,
Samford had grown its lead 14 points and less than four minutes in, Samford
assumed what was a 61-40 lead following a three-pointer on a fast-break from Fort
with 16:58 left. The Bulldogs would never look back the rest of the way, leading
by as many as 26 and would never let the Catamounts get closer than 16 points
the rest of the way.
For the game, Samford connected on a blistering
52.8% (28-for-53) from the field, including shooting a solid 40.0% (10-for-25)
from three-point land in the game. The Catamounts, who shot the ball well early
in the game, finished the night shooting just 39.3% (24-of-61) from the field
and 39.3% (11-for-28) from three-point range. The Bulldogs finished the night connecting
at a 81.5% (22-of-27) clip from the free throw line, while the Catamounts
connected on 71.4% (10-for-14) of their charity shots in the game.
The Bulldogs had two players finish the game in
double figures, with Jaden Brownell with game-high scoring honors, finishing with
23 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field and 3-for-5 from three-point land.
The other Bulldogs player finishing the night in double figures for the night
was Trey Fort, who added 18 points, as he connected on 6-of-9 shots from the
field and was 3-for-5 from three-point range. Fort was also solid once again at
the charity stripe, connecting on 4-of-5 shots from the line.
The Catamounts finished the contest led by another
strong performance from senior forward Bernard Pelote, who finished 22 points
on 9-of-13 from the field and 4-for-7 shooting from three-point range. Cord
Stansberry added 11 points, while CJ Hyland chipped in with 10 to round out the
double figure scorers for WCU on the night.
Samford returns to action on Wednesday evening,
as the Bulldogs will look to run their home winning streak at the Pete Hanna Center
to 27-straight when they host VMI (6-9, 0-2 SoCon) in an 8 p.m. EST contest at
the Pete Hanna Center. Western Carolina will be in the Upstate of South
Carolina, facing off against the Wofford (7-8, 1-1 SoCon) in a key Southern
Conference tilt at the Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium. Tip-off for that game
is set for 7 p.m. EST
Mercer (9-6, 2-0 SoCon) 70, VMI (6-9, 0-2 SoCon)
67
Jan. 4, 2025/Lexington, VA
Cameron Hall (546 ATN)
Series Following Result: Mercer now leads the
series 20-4 and have won the past five meetings against the Keydets
Mercer continued its strong start to a new era
of Southern Conference Basketball under first-year head coach Ryan Ridder, as
the Bears went on the road for the first time in league play in a tough environment
and were able to pull out what was a 70-67 win over VMI at Saturday afternoon
at Cameron Hall before a sparse crowd.
The Bears were paced in the contest by North
Florida transfer Jah Nze, who scored a career-high 25 points to help lead the Bears
improve to a 2-0 start to league play for the first time since their first
season as a league member back in 2014-15. The win also marked the milestone
200th win for first-year head coach Ryan Ridder over the span of his career.
Mercer appeared as if it was in cruise control in
the second half when Alex Holt’s layup in the paint gave the Bears a 46-29 lead
with 16:29 remaining in the game. However, the Bears would get too comfortable
as the Keydets got back into the game over the next eight minutes of the game,
using a 28-7 to take their first lead of the afternoon when an AJ Clark layup
would give the Keydets their first lead of the afternoon, at 55-53, with 8:44
left. The game had an eerily strange vibe to their road opener at ETSU, only
this time the big run covered more of the middle portions of the second half
rather than to close the first half, as it had done in Johnson City.
A couple of minutes later, Turkish National
Team member Tan Yildizoglu gave the the Keydets a six-point, 62-56, lead with 6:26
remaining. The Bears would chip away at the Keydets lead over the next four
minutes, eventually tying the game, 63-63, on a Holt tip-in with 3:03 remaining,
and then after Rickey Bradley Jr. missed a three-pointer on the other end for
the Keydets, took the lead for good when Jah Nze connected on one of his five
three-pointers in the contest, as it gave the Bears a 66-63 advantage with just
2:37 remaining.
With Mercer clinging to a 68-67 lead with just
15 seconds remaining, the Keydets had a chance to snatch the win after the Bears
turned it over inbounding the basketball with 15 seconds remaining. On the
ensuing offensive possession, Keydets forward Augustinas Kiudulas lost control
of the basketball and Mercer’s Laurynas Vaistaras picked up the loose ball and
was immediately fouled. He would knock down both foul shots and the Keydets missed
a three-pointer at the buzzer, and the Bears held on for their second SoCon
win.
Nze was joined in double figures in the contest
by Alex Holt and Ahmad Robinson, who added 11 points apiece. Holt’s
team-leading nine rebounds saw him just the miss the opportunity for a
double-double contest.
VMI’s lone double-figure scorer in the contest
was Rickey Bradley, who finished with a game-high 30 points. Bradley would
connect on 8-of-17 shots from the field and went 5-for-11 from three-point
range. He also knocked down 9-of-12 from the charity stripe.
The Bears shot the ball at a slightly higher clip
from the field, knocking down 44.6% (25-of-56) for the game, while connecting
on 37.5% (9-of-24) from long-range. Mercer shot just 57.9% (11-of-19) from the
charity stripe.
VMI finished the night connecting on 40%
(22-of-55) from the field and connected on 33.3% (9-of-27) from three-point
land. The Keydets finished the game connecting on 70% (14-of-20) from the free
throw line.
Both teams are slated to return to the floor
Wednesday night, with Mercer hosting ETSU in a 7 p.m. contest at Hawkins Arena.
VMI will be on the road to face Samford at the Pete Hanna Center in a game
slated for an 8 p.m. EST tip-off time.
Chattanooga (9-6, 1-1 SoCon) 81, The Citadel
(5-8, 0-2 SoCon)
Jan. 4, 2025/Charleston, S.C.
McAlister Field House (1,029 ATN)
Series Following The Result: In what was the
95th all-time meeting between the two programs, the Mocs increased their
overall lead in the series to 72-23. The Mocs have now won eight of the last 11
games in the series between the two.
SoCon preseason No. 2 pick Chattanooga
rebounded from its hiccup in the opener at Mercer to come away with an 81-68 league
triumph on the road at The Citadel before a little over 1,000 fans Saturday
afternoon at McAlister Field House.
The Mocs would grow their lead to as many as 15
points in the opening half of play when Trey Bonham connected on a
three-pointer in transition to give the visitor’s a 42-27 lead, however, UTC would
have to settle for a 12-point halftime advantage, as Sola Adebisi connected on
a triple with 36 seconds left in the opening frame, as the Mocs would to the
half with a 42-30 lead.
Chattanooga would come out just as strong as it
had started the game in the opening minutes of the second half, using a 7-0 run
to increase the lead to 51-34 on a Jack Kostel layup as the two teams headed to
their respective benches for the first media timeout of the second half with
15:38 to play.
The Bulldogs would off a swift response out of
that first media timeout of the second half, as Ed Conroy’s words were given life
in the way of a 9-0 response by the hometown Bulldogs, with the run beginning
with a four-straight free throws from Brody Fox and ending with a triple from Cam
Glover, getting the Bulldogs to within 51-43 with 12:22 remaining in the game.
However, the Mocs came right back with a free
throw by Kostel and a jumper by Bash Wieland to push the lead back to 11 with
10:27 remaining, and the Bulldogs were never able to get than eight the rest of
the way, as the Mocs held off the pesky home squad to escape Charleston with
what was an 81-68 win. All told, the
score doesn’t indicate just how dominant the Mocs were in the contest, leading
for 37-and-a-half minutes of the 40 en route to the win.
In the win for Chattanooga, the Mocs put forth
a solid offensive effort, connecting on 51.7% (30-of-58) for the game, including
a 39.1% (9-of-23) from long range, as all 11 Mocs that saw action in the contest
scored at least one field goal in the win. The Mocs also shot a strong 75.0%
(12-of-16) from the free throw line, as Chattanooga continues to top the league
in team free throw shooting percentage (76.9%).
The Citadel ended the night by connecting on
44.2% (23-of-52) for the game, including 38.1% (8-of-21) from three-point land.
The Bulldogs were also 60.9% (14-of-23) from the charity stripe for the game.
The Mocs finished with three players in double
figures, with Bash Wieland’s 21 points pacing the team, while Trey Bonham and
Sean Cusano closed out Chattanooga’s double-figure scorers in the contest with
12 and 11 points, respectively. Wieland was sizzling hot all evening,
connecting on 10-of-15 shots from the field and finished 1-for-3 from long
range. Wieland and Bonham also added five rebounds, while Garrison Kesslar led
Chattanooga with six boards.
The Citadel was led by a game-high tying 21
points from Brody Fox, while Sola Adebisi chipped in with 12. Fox, a transfer from
the University of Wisconsin-Stout, connected on 7-of-16 shots from the field
and was 7-for-11 from the charity stripe.
Both teams return to action this week, with The
Citadel hosting arch-rival Furman (13-2, 1-1 SoCon) in a 7 p.m. EST contest at
McAlister Field House on Wednesday, Jan. 8, while Chattanooga will return to
the floor on Thursday, Jan. 9, hosting UNC Greensboro (9-6, 2-0 SoCon) in a 5
p.m. EST contest at McKenzie Arena, as the game will be televised before a
national viewing audience by CBS Sports Network.
Gameday 3:
Jan. 8, 2025
The Citadel--Furman
Samford--VMI
ETSU-Mercer
Wofford--Western Carolina
Jan. 9, 2025
Chattanooga-UNCG
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