Weekly Men’s Basketball Notes, November 24, 2008

Men's basketball notes and game recaps for week ending November 23, 2008.

BREVARD - The Brevard College men's basketball team started off the 2008-09 season on the right track this week, going 3-0 defeating Warren Wilson, Lees-McRae and Erskine … In their 2008-09 regular season opener and home opener, the Tornados bounced back from a poorly played first half to outscore the Owls 47-26 in the second half to come away with the 70-42 win. Junior forward Jonathan Whitson led the way for BC, has he poured in a game-high 29 points and hauled in a game-high 13 rebounds for his first double-double of the season. Center Sam Carlisle scored 10 points in his first regular season game in over a year, since he sat out last season due to NCAA transfer rules … On Thursday night, the Tornados played the first game of their seven game road trip at Lees-McRae in Banner Elk, N.C. The Tornados again used a dominant second half to come away with the 72-63 road win. Brevard bounced back from committing 16 first half turnovers and a 33-26 deficit to outscore the Bobcats 46-30 in the final 20 minutes of play. Coach Jones' squad shot 51.7 percent in the second half, including hitting four three pointers, while holding the Bobcats to 10 field goals, many of which were late in the game, and forced them to cough up the ball 18 times for the game. Again Whitson led the way with his second double-double in as many games, scoring a game-high 22 points and pulling down 12 rebounds. Junior guard Andrew Freeman added 11 points, while nine different Tornados scored in the contest … The Tornados moved to 3-0 on Saturday afternoon, as Brevard revenged two losses from a year ago in defeating Erskine 59-55 in Due West, S.C. The two teams played a defensive battle in the opening 20 minutes of play, as the Tornados held the Flying Fleet without a field goal for the first 10 minutes of the game and took a 20-18 lead into the halftime break. In the second half the Tornados pushed the lead to as high as 12 points, but found themselves down by one point with less than three minutes to play in the game. However, the resiliency of the Tornados was displayed as BC hit a number of key baskets down the stretch and made three key defensive stops to come away with the 59-55 road victory. Whitson had 16 points, while Carlisle added 10 points down low for BC. Redshirt junior Nathan Whitmire and senior Sean Ferretti held the Flying Fleet's leading scorer Brandon Wright, who led all NCAA Division II schools in three-pointers made last season, to 6-of-16 shooting and 2-of-8 from long distance … The Tornados will go big time on Saturday, November 29, as Brevard will take on Belmont Abbey in Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, N.C. the home of the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats. That game is slated for a 2:30 p.m. start.

CARSON-NEWMAN - The Carson-Newman Eagles split their two games in week two to move to 1-2 on the season…C-N opened the week with a 99-93 win at Lees-McRae on Tuesday night…Junior guard Jordan Dixon's steal and lay-in of a Bobcat inbounds pass gave C-N a 4-point lead with just under 10 seconds remaining to seals the win…Dixon scored the final eight points of the game for C-N…He finished with 13 points…Junior Tray Okoth led the Eagles with 18 points on 6-of-10 from the floor…Junior Darron Maxtion added 13 points, while six Eagles reached double figures…C-N used a 63-26 advantage off the bench to get by the Bobcats…Junior Joey Cameron's 24 points and 11 rebounds were not enough for the Eagles to drop Alabama-Huntsville on Saturday night in Holt Fieldhouse, falling 98-94…Cameron finished 8-of-9 from the floor and 8-of-15 at the line…he also blocked three shots, but C-N turned the ball over 28 times to drop its second straight home game to open the year…Six Eagles are averaging double figures three games in, led by Cameron's 20 ppg…Senior Jesse McMurry is second on the team with a 12.3 average, while Dixon (10.7) and freshman Jared Stephens (10.0) are each in double digits at the guard spot…Forward Okoth and Maxtion average 12 and 11 respectively…As a team, C-N is pouring in 104 points per game early in the year…The Eagles averaged 90.3 for the season in '07-'08…C-N will host Milligan College on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. in Holt Fieldhouse…The Eagles will play in the Tusculum Classic this weekend against Georgia College and State and West Alabama…Friday's game against GCSU is at 8 p.m. in Greeneville, Tennessee…Saturday's game with UWA is at 2 p.m.

CATAWBA - The Catawba Indians moved to 3-0 on the season with a 101-91 victory at Queens on Saturday afternoon ... six players reached double figures as the Indians pulled away down the stretch ... Catawba led for most of the contest ... Queens briefly held a 22-21 edge in the opening half before the Tribe took a 48-43 lead at the break ... the Royals fought back from a 58-50 deficit to take a 78-76 lead just under eight minutes left ... Catawba got a three-point play by Rob Fields to retake the lead and after the lead changed hands over the next four possessions Dominick Reid gave the Indians the lead for good at 88-86 with 4:24 left ... the Indians canned 7-of-8 at the line in the final minute to pull away ... Reid led Catawba with 21 points, hitting on 8-of-13 shots ... Antonio Houston had 18 points, making 10-of-12 at the line ... Fields had 17 off the bench ... Houston also grabbed nine rebounds and Fields handed out six assists ... Houston is averaging 20 points per game after three contests and also leads the squad with 6.7 rebounds ... Cliff Burns is averaging 14 points and six boards a game ... the Indians are hitting just over 50% from the field and are canning nearly 75% from the line ... Catawba is also +4 in rebounding ... the Indians will host St. Augustine's at Time Warner Cable Arena on Monday afternoon in Charlotte then travel to Wingate to face Bowie State and Northern Kentucky this weekend.

LENOIR-RHYNE - The No. 17 Lenoir-Rhyne men's basketball team lost twice in three games last week as it fell to 3-2 on the season … L-R defeated Queens by a 79-62 score on Wednesday in Charlotte, N.C., before falling to No. 18 Mount Olive (71-70) and Barton (80-74) on Friday and Saturday, respectively, at the 43rd annual Pickle Classic in Mount Olive, N.C. … Against the Royals, senior guard Elliott McDowell (Canton, N.C.) and senior forward Donte Watson (Fayetteville, N.C.) each scored 18 points as the Bears built a 27-point second-half lead (69-42) en route to the win … Lenoir-Rhyne also limited Queens to just 39 percent (22-of-57) shooting for the game and forced 27 turnovers … Lenoir-Rhyne was stunned against Mount Olive after building a 15-point lead (59-44) with under eight minutes to go in the game … The Trojans' Justin Foskey hit a three-pointer to tie the contest at 70 with 2.3 seconds left and Craig Hayes hit a free throw with 0.6 seconds remaining to take the win … McDowell led all scorers with 23 points and sophomore forward D.J. Blackmon (Albemarle, N.C.) added a double-double (13 points and 10 rebounds) despite the loss … Lenoir-Rhyne uncharacteristically missed three of its last five free throws to keep Mount Olive in the game … Barton's Bobby Buffaloe scored 11 of his 15 points after halftime and the Bulldogs used an 8-0 late in the game to seal the win … Elliott (19 points), Blackmon (18 points) and junior guard Josh Rudder (Graham, N.C.) (17 points) combined for 54 points despite the loss … Rudder now has 1,145 career points, good for 30thh place on the school's all-time list … McDowell, who is first on the squad at 19.8 points per game, has led the team in scoring in four of its five contests so for this year … Blackmon has back-to-back double-doubles after Saturday's game … Lenoir-Rhyne does not play again until Wednesday, December 3, when it travels to Salisbury, N.C., to face Catawba in the South Atlantic Conference opener at Goodman Gymnasium beginning at 8 p.m. … L-R leads the all-time series with Catawba, 101-82.

LINCOLN MEMORIAL - The Lincoln Memorial University men's basketball team improved to 2-0 on the season with the 72-60 win at Ohio Valley on Monday. A pair of freshman led the way for the Railsplitters as Desmond Johnson and Justin Allen each scored 13 points in the win. Johnson also led LMU on the boards with 11 rebounds in the contest … On Friday evening, the Lincoln Memorial University men's basketball team dropped it's first game of the year when the Railsplitters traveled to Greeneville, Tennessee to take on Columbus State University in the opening game of the Sodexho Classic, hosted by Tusculum College … After trading the lead numerous times with the Cougars throughout the evening, the Railsplitters eventually fell for the first time this season by the final of 63-52. Sophomore Forward D'Mario Curry came off the bench to lead the Railsplitters in scoring Friday evening. Curry finished the night with 14 points on 6-9 shooting from the floor while grabbing five rebounds. Also in double figures for the LMU was freshman Desmond Johnson. Johnson also came off the bench to contribute 10 points on 4-6 shots while pulling five boards. Senior Wadner Joseph led LMU on the glass with 10 rebounds … The Lincoln Memorial University men's basketball team defeated Flager College 74-60 on Saturday afternoon to improve to 3-1 on the year and to finish 1-1 in the Sodexho Classic hosted by Tusculum College. LMU trailed by seven at the half 34-27, but rallied and led by as many as 14 points on three different occasions in the second half before coming away with the 74-60 win … Sophomore forward D'Mario Curry came off the bench to lead the Railsplitters in scoring with 19 points, while freshman guard Dominic Parker added 17 points. Also in double figures were freshman guard Brandon Armstrong who finished with 11, and junior guard Stuart Miller who chipped in 10. Freshman Desmond Johnson led the Railsplitters on the boards with nine rebounds … After four road-games in seven days, the LMU men's will now return to Harrogate for their Tuesday evening home opener against Lane College. The Railsplitters tip-off at 8:00 o'clock.

MARS HILL - Mars Hill split its games last week. MHC is now 2-1 on the season … The Lions lost on the road at Belmont Abbey and then won their home opener … In the first game of the week, Belmont Abbey guard Richard Barbee led six Crusaders in double figures with a game-high 31 points as defeated MHC 105-95. The Abbey shot 48.6 percent as Barbee clicked for 31 points on 10-16 shooting from the floor and an 8-10 effort from the free throw line. He also had eight rebounds, one assist, two blocked shots and four steals … Mars Hill which shot 40.9 percent from the field was led by Danny Sanders' (Shelby, N.C.) 22 points. He also pulled down seven rebounds and had two assists and a steal. Jamarl Glen (District Heights, Md.) added 17 points and seven rebounds, while Tony Blake (Canton, N.C.) added 14 and Stoney Polite (Morganton, N.C.) chipped in with 12. P.J. Gore (North Myrtle Beach, S.C.) added 11 … The Abbey never trailed in the game and built its largest first half lead at 37-21 as it took a 40-28 lead into halftime. In the second half, the lead grew to its highest point of the contest at 64-40 with 11:20 left, but a Mars Hill run trimmed the lead to nine at 93-84 with 1:43 left … The Abbey would push the lead back to 11, but a Blake three-pointer cut the lead to eight with 47 seconds left. The Abbey ended the game with seven straight free throws, including two by Barbee with 1.9 seconds left, to seal the win … In the second contest of the week, the Lions won their home opener Saturday afternoon in Stanford Arena over the visiting Trojans of Anderson University, 89-69 … P.J. Gore (North Myrtle Beach, S.C.) led MHC to the win with 16 points, seven rebounds, four steals and the same number of assists. Jamarl Glen (District Heights, Md.) followed with a game high 17 points while Danny Sanders (Shelby, N.C.) recorded his second double-double on the young season with 12 points and 10 boards. Andy Miller (Franklin, N.C.) and Tinos Brozos (Thessaloniki, Greece) rounded out the double-digit scorers for MHC adding 12 and 10 points in the win, respectively … Eleven players scored in the contest for the Lions. MHC hit 48.6 percent (34-70) of their shots and won the battle of the boards, 50-30 … The Lions scored 58 points in the paint, 29 off Anderson miscues, 24 off the break and 20 second chance points. MHC also received 35 points from their bench … The first 12 minutes of the game were closely played. With the score tied at 22-all, Jarred Pickering (Queensland, Australia) converted two free throws to give the Lions a 24-22 lead they would not relinquish with 7:23 left in the opening period … The Lions out scored the Trojans 18-12 in the final seven minutes of the first half to take a 42-34 lead into the locker room at the intermission … The second half was all Mars Hill. The Lions went on a 26-10 run to take a 24-point lead (68-44) with 12:19 left in regulation after Miller hit 1-of-2 shots at the charity stripe. Anderson would trim the Lions' lead to 16 points with 9:27 on the clock but that was as close as the Trojans would get … MHC responded by out scoring Anderson 11-2 over the next five minutes to enjoy their largest lead of 25 points after Gore hit a high percentage shot in the lane. MHC cruised down the stretch to the 20-point victory … MHC will host local rival Montreat on November 25. Tip-off in Stanford Arena is set for 7 p.m.

NEWBERRY - The Newberry College men's basketball team moved to 3-0 on the season with wins over Erskine and Carver Bible last week… The 3-0 start is Newberry's first since the 1994-95 season… On Wednesday, the scarlet and gray shot down the Flying Fleet of Erskine, 64-51… Senior forward Clemente Martin led Newberry with 18 points and three rebounds, while Brett Goodwell added 12 points, eight boards and four assists… Hot shooting (24-of-43, 55.8 percent) helped Newberry's cause throughout the night, as did a cold night for the Fleet (19-of-58, 32.8 percent)… Newberry turned the ball over 23 times to Erskine's 18, but outrebounded the guests by a 34-27 count... It could have been even worse, as 13 of EC's 27 boards came on the offensive end of the floor… Kendrick Johnson moved to eighth in the history of the South Atlantic Conference in blocked shots, as he swatted away five Fleet attempts on the night… Newberry jumped out quickly, scoring the first nine points of the contest, seven of which were scored by Martin... Erskine did not score its first field goal until the 14:19 mark, when Wright connected on the first of his six three-pointers on the night… NC led by 11 with 12:18 to play, but the Fleet narrowed the deficit to as few as two points at 21-19 with just under six minutes left in the half… Wright nailed a triple with 20 seconds left to make the score 29-26 in Newberry's favor at the half… But the scarlet and gray got off to another quick start in the second half, scoring the first nine points of the period... With 8:55 left to play, the hosts had outscored Erskine 27-10 in the second half… However, Erskine would not go away quietly, answering with an 11-0 run with nine points on Wright trifectas... The scarlet and gray tightened up defensively down the stretch though, and finished off a 64-51 victory… On Saturday, all 13 active players for Newberry scored at least one field goal in a 111-52 win over Carver Bible College… Newberry was led by 19 points and seven rebounds from sophomore forward Jesse Wheeler, who was making his Newberry debut after sitting out the first two games due to an NCAA ruling on his transfer eligibility… Martin added 18 points and four rebounds… Three reserves scored in double digits off the bench as Grant Domsic had 17, Will Dawkins had 14 points, five rebounds and four assists, and Charles Ndoloum had 10 points, seven rebounds and four assists… Matt Alexander added six points, but led the team in assists (6) and steals (4)… Johnson was the team leader in rebounds (8) and blocked shots (3)… Newberry started the game on fire by jumping out to a 14-0 lead... The Cougars whittled the lead down to eight by making three consecutive buckets, but the game wouldn't be close from there on out... With 11:42 left in the opening half, Newberry had a 22-13 lead, but less than three minutes later that lead was extended to 33-13 on a Martin layup… The scarlet and gray continued to pour in the points, and led by as many as 29 before the half... Two late free throws from CBC made it 56-29 at the half… The Cougars scored the opening bucket of the second half, but the Newberry defense clamped down and allowed only five points in the first 10 minutes of the half… While limiting the Cougars on the defensive end of the floor, the scarlet and gray poured it on offensively, netting 30 points in that time period to take an 86-34 lead at the media timeout… With the starters on the bench, the reserves got plenty of playing time, as Ndoloum, Phillip Udom and Felder Leaphart all scored their first points of the season... In fact, Leaphart's first career bucket with 3:49 remaining gave Newberry its 100th point of the game... The scarlet and gray last scored 100 in a double overtime loss to Catawba last season… Newberry's last 100-point win was a 101-81 victory over Wingate on January 17, 2004… The 111 point total today was the most points scored by Newberry since a 114-76 win over Anderson on February 19, 1996… The hosts shot 37-of-69 (53.6 percent) from the field, and a scorching 15-of-27 (55.6 percent) from behind the three-point arc, while limiting Carver to 18-of-66 (27.3 percent) shooting from the field… Newberry will look to extend its season opening win streak with two road games on Thanksgiving week… On Tuesday, the scarlet and gray travel to NAIA Allen University for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff in Columbia… Saturday will see Newberry take on Limestone College in Gaffney for anoth 7:30 p.m. tip… With wins in both contests, Newberry would secure its longest season-opening win streak since the 1981-82 Indians won five straight to start the season.

TUSCULUM - The Tusculum Pioneers (2-1) recorded a pair of wins at the 2008 Sodexo Classic… TC recorded win over Flagler (75-58) and Columbus State (89-69)… In the win over Flagler, sophomore forward Rob Troutman recorded a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds… Junior guard Kyle Moore led all scorers with 19 points, shooting 12-for-16 from the free throw line, while senior guard Ryan Troutman added 11 points and five assists in the win… Tusculum used a 12-2 run early in the contest and finished the first half with a 14-4 spurt as the Pioneers led 43-23 at the intermission… Rob Troutman and Moore each had 11 points at halftime for Tusculum… In the second half, Tusculum took its biggest lead of the night at 51-27 with 15:08 remaining following a three-point play by rookie Taylor Hobbs… Rob Troutman would account for a three-point play of his own a minute later as TC led again by 24 (54-30)… Tusculum shot 49 percent from the floor, while holding Flagler to under 40 percent shooting on the night (39.6), including 37.5 percent in the second half. Tusculum also won the board battle by a 35-33 margin… In the Columbus State game, Moore recorded a career-high 42 points… Moore scored 21 points in each half as he shot 12-for-21 from the floor, including 8-for-13 from three-point territory… The Gainesville, Fla. native also went 10-for-11 at the charity stripe, while adding five rebounds. Moore's point-tally is the sixth-best in Tusculum history and the second best in SAC history… His eight 3-pointers are tied for fourth most ever by a Pioneer… Junior Josh Bennett contributed 23 points and 16 rebounds as he shot 9-for-16 from the field and 5-of-6 from the charity stripe… Ryan Troutman also posted a double-double with his 11 points and career-best 13 assists… Tusculum trailed for only 33 seconds in the game as the Pioneers opened the game with a 16-5 run including five points each by Moore and Rob Troutman. CSU responded with seven straight points as the Cougars trailed 16-12 at the 13:47 mark of the first half… Tusculum opened up its advantage to double-digits once again before settling for a 40-27 lead at the intermission… With the Pioneers leading 44-27 in the opening moments of the second period, CSU mounted a charge over a five minute span, going on a 15-4 spurt to trail 48-42 with 14:23 remaining in the contest…Moore exploded for 12 straight points over a two minute span as Tusculum led 60-42 at the 12:18 mark… Tusculum would put the game away with a 16-2 run over the next 4:02, including six points from Bennett as the Pioneers took its biggest lead of the afternoon at 81-55 with 5:16 remaining on the clock… Tusculum shot 54.4 percent from the floor, including a sizzling 15-for-24 (62.5%) in the second half. The Pioneers also dominated the glass, winning the board battle by a 49-23 margin, including 21-9 in the final 20 minutes… Moore averaged 30.5 points per game on the weekend and is TC's top scorer tallying 27.3 points per game… He is one of four players who are averaging in double-digits, along with Rob Troutman (11.3), Ryan Troutman (10.7) and Bennett (10.0)… The Pioneers have made a three-point field goal in 583 consecutive games, dating back to 1987 … There are three sets of family members on the Tusculum team this year … Coach Jim Boone has his oldest son, Jimmy on the roster … There are also two sets of brothers, Ryan and Rob Troutman, and Darren and Taylor Hobbs… Tusculum will host the Jameson Inn Classic this weekend where the Pioneers will face West Alabama and Georgia College & State University… Carson-Newman will also be participating in this weekend's Classic at Pioneer Arena.

WINGATE - The Wingate University men's basketball team played two contests last week. On Saturday night, Belmont Abbey picked up a hard-fought 70-67 NCAA Division II victory over visiting Wingate in the Wheeler Center. The Crusaders rallied after trailing 42-36 at intermission … The Abbey shot 52.6 percent from three-point range (10-of-19) as senior guard Jonathan Jackson led four Crusaders in double figures with 21 points. Wingate freshman guard Chase Smith led the Bulldogs with 12 points, while redshirt sophomore swing man Ben Davis added 11. Wingate redshirt junior forward David Johnson contributed 10 points. The Bulldogs shot 50.9 percent (27-of-53) from the floor … On Thursday night, East Tennessee State senior guard Courtney Pigram notched a triple-double (21 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists) as the host Buccaneers topped Wingate 96-66 at Memorial Center … For Wingate, freshman guard Jamie Vaughn led the way with 16 points, while senior post Kenny Villines added 10 points and seven rebounds. The Bulldogs led by as many as eight points in the first half … A live pay-per-view video stream will be available for four Wingate men's basketball games this week. The Wingate University Sports Network will provide the live pay-per-view video stream in cooperation with Internet Consulting Services, Inc. … Bulldog fans can purchase the video contests for $4.95 each. Please note a short registration process is required prior to purchasing the video stream. Registration is required to view the contest … Wingate University graduate Ryan Brown (class of 2006) will provide the play-by-play for each broadcast. Wayne Shadrick will contribute the basketball color commentary … The Bulldogs host Barton Monday (7 p.m.) and Lander Wednesday (7 p.m.) in Cuddy Arena. Wingate entertains Northern Kentucky and Bowie State in the OrthoCarolina Classic Saturday and Sunday. Wingate plays the NKU Norse Saturday at 4 p.m. The Bulldogs will face the BSU Bulldogs Sunday at 4 p.m. South Atlantic Conference member Catawba will also take part in the OrthoCarolina Classic.