Weekly Men’s Basketball Notes, February 16, 2009

Men's basketball notes and game recaps for week ending February 15, 2009.

BREVARD - Brevard College went 1-1 on the week to move to 11-12 (2-10 South Atlantic Conference) on the season... Wednesday Brevard went out of the SAC to face North Greenville, and won, 78-62... Jonathan Whitson scored a career-high 33 points and pulled down nine rebounds... Whitson also broke the Brevard career scoring record in the win... at the 3:00 mark of the first half, Whitson took an entry pass from Sam Carlisle, spun, and laid the ball in for his fifth field goal of the night, giving him 1,357 points, one better than Tyjuan Campbell, who played at Brevard from 1999-2003... The Tornados took control of the game with an 8-0 run late in the first half, culminating with Whitson's record-breaking basket, to take a 30-19 lead... The Tornados scored the final five points of the half, including a three-pointer from Radosav Babic and another Whitson score, to lead at the break, 35-20... Brevard never led by less that ten in the second half... The biggest Tornado lead came with 2:53 to play, when a pair of free throws from Cody Siniard made the score 76-56... Siniard finished with 11 points, and Darin Dellinger dished out a career-high 10 assists... Saturday Brevard fell to Wingate, 81-72... Whitson scored 24 points and pulled down nine boards... Dellinger scored 13 points and Christian Matus drained four three-pointers, scoring 12... Brevard led, 20-11, with 12:42 left in the first half after a 9-2 run... Wingate took control with ten straight to lead 21-20... The teams traded the lead five more times in the first half... The Bulldogs closed the half on a 15-7 run to lead at the break, 38-33... A Whitson tip-in cut the deficit to 40-39 with 19:01 to play... A 9-2 run put Wingate up, 49-41 with 15:37 left... Down 14, the Tornados went on a 13-3 run late in the game, capped by a Shane Galloway three-pointer, to cut the gap to 76-72 with 48 seconds left... But the Tornados would not score again, as Wingate would score the game's final five points from the free throw line... Brevard welcomes a pair of SAC teams to Boshamer Gymnasium this week... Carson-Newman is the opponent on Wednesday, when Brevard will host WBCA Pink Zone night... Game time is 8 p.m... Tusculum is Saturday's opponent... The game starts at 4 p.m.

CARSON-NEWMAN - The Carson-Newman Eagles struggled to an 0-3 week, with losses at Catawba and Tusculum, and home loss to Lenoir-Rhyne … With the losses, C-N is now 6-17 on the year, and 3-9 in South Atlantic Conference play …C-N opened the week with a 109-100 loss at Catawba … Catawba overcame a 50-43 halftime deficit, scoring 66 points in the second half … Carson-Newman led by as many as 11 points in the first half the last at 42-31 with 2:48 before the break. Catawba took its first second-half lead on a tip-in at 61-59 … The Eagles connected on 48 percent from the floor and made 13 three-pointers, but were only 5-of-15 from long range in the second half … Joey Cameron (Tuskegee, AL) led five double-figure scorers for Carson-Newman with 22 points and added three blocked shots … Jesse McMurray (Weber City, VA) followed with 16 points, hitting on four three-pointers, but had only two points in the second half … Hyatte had 13 points …The Carson-Newman men's basketball team fell to Lenoir-Rhyne 67-53 Wednesday night in South Atlantic Conference action at Holt Fieldhouse ... The Eagles couldn't overcome a poor offensive night as they shot 32 percent (16-of-50) from the field, including a 5-for-20 (25 percent) effort from 3-point range ... C-N also made just 16-of-31 (51.6 percent) attempts from the free-throw line ... Jesse McMurray(Weber City, Va.) tossed in 11 points to lead C-N, while Zach Hyatte (Dayton, Tenn.) finished with 10 points ... Andrew Johnson (Cairo, Ga.) added nine points, and Joey Cameron (Tuskegee, Ala.) chipped in eight points and seven rebounds ... The Eagles led just two times in the first half, with its last being a 7-5 lead after Hyatte sank a jumper at the 14:59 mark ... C-N shot 26.1 percent (6-of-23) from the field during the first 20 minutes and was just 1-of-10 from behind the arc ... The Tusculum College men's basketball team placed five players in double figures as the Pioneers defeated Carson-Newman College 83-74 ... Bobby Guyton led the Eagles (6-17, 3-9 SAC) with 14 points, while Tray Okoth tallied a dozen points and Andrew Johnson finished with 10 markers in the loss ... Kevin Hare and Jesse McMurray each scored nine points, all on three-pointers, while Darron Maxtion and Jordan Dixon added eight points apiece ... The Eagles jumped out of the gate scoring the first five points of the game on a three-pointer by Hare and a basket by Dixon ... C-N would increase would take the lead at 37-34 on a McMurray trey with 1:47 left in the half ... C-N would use a 9-2 spurt to tie the game at 64-64 with 6:41 left, following a dunk by Guyton and a three-point by McMurray ... Carson-Newman would get as close as four (74-70) with 1:25 left ... Carson-Newman shot 44.4 percent from the floor, but only 26.9 percent from three-point land, including 1-of-12 from beyond the arc in the second half (8.3 percent) ... Carson-Newman will be at Brevard College Wednesday for an 8 p.m. game with the Tornados.

CATAWBA - The Catawba won two of three league games last week ... The Indians topped Carson-Newman 109-100 on Monday, fell to Newberry 79-73 on Wednesday then beat Mars Hill 86-83 on Saturday ... Against Carson-Newman, Rob Fields scored a career-high 28 points, hitting on 11-of-17 from the field, to pace the Indians ... He tallied 21 points after the half as Catawba rallied from a seven-point deficit ... Antonio Houston scored 20 points, while Finnur Magnusson also posted a career-high with 16 points ... Magnusson did not miss a shot on the night, canning all six field goal tries (including a pair of three pointers) and a pair of free throws ... Catawba, shot has shot below 40 percent in all five of its league losses, shot 56 percent against C-N and canned 67.6 percent in the second half ... Catawba also held a 42-30 edge on the boards ... Newberry used a late 8-0 run to pull away from a tie in the final five minutes ... Fields tossed in 22 points, but the Indians hit just 31 percent of its shots in the first half and 39 percent for the game ... Newberry hit on 58 percent in the second half ... Catawba held off Mars Hill on Saturday ... After surrendering an eight-point lead in the final five and half minutes, Dominick Reid put Catawba back on top at 84-83 on a three-pointer with just over 30 seconds to play ... Fields put the Catawba Indians up three on a pair of free throws with 10 seconds left for the final margin ... Isaac Rose tallied 16 points and grabbed nine rebounds off the bench for Catawba ... Donzell Williams and Donald Rutherford each posted 14 points ... Fields had seven assists ... Catawba will host Lincoln Memorial on Wednesday then travel to Lenoir-Rhyne on Saturday night.

LENOIR-RHYNE - The Lenoir-Rhyne University men's basketball team (14-9, 9-4) increased its winning streak to four games and remained tied for first place in the South Atlantic Conference with Tusculum with a pair of league victories last week over Carson-Newman (67-53) Wednesday on the road and at home against Lincoln Memorial (88-75 in double overtime) Saturday … Against Carson-Newman, senior guard Josh Rudder (Graham, N.C.) led all scorers with a season-high 28 points to go along with five treys while sophomore forward D.J. Blackmon (Albemarle, N.C.) added 10 points as the Bears swept the season series from the Eagles … Lenoir-Rhyne led 27-15 at halftime and increased its advantage to as much as 23 points in the second half while limiting Carson-Newman to just 32 percent (16-of-50) shooting for the game and forcing the Eagles into 19 turnovers …. Senior guard Elliott McDowell (Canton, N.C.) and Blackmon combined for 50 points in the double overtime win over the Railsplitters … The Bears jumped out to a 25-12 lead but saw themselves down 62-56 with 3:11 left … However, Lenoir-Rhyne held Lincoln Memorial scoreless for the remainder of the half while junior guard Ryan Crawford (Stuarts Draft, Va.) hit a pair of free throws with 41 seconds left to force overtime … A back-and-forth first overtime concluded when Lincoln Memorial's Scott Erland hit a three-pointer at the top of the key to force a fourth stanza … The second overtime was all L-R as the Bears outscored the Railsplitters, 16-3, and hit nine-of-10 free throw attempts … On Lenoir-Rhyne's all-time lists, Rudder is 18th in points (1,356), fourth in assists (437) and second in steals (196) … Lenoir-Rhyne is 33-3 in its last 36 South Atlantic Conference home games … Lenoir-Rhyne hosts Catawba on Saturday beginning at 8 p.m. … Although Catawba won earlier this year by a 91-85 score on December 3, 2008, in Salisbury, N.C., the Bears lead the all-time series, 101-83.

LINCOLN MEMORIAL - Despite trailing by two points at the half, the Lincoln Memorial University men's basketball team pulled out to a 21 point lead with 6:11 to go in the game and survived a late-game run by the Lions that cut the margin to seven before coming away with an 87-77 win over Mars Hill Wednesday evening to improve to 13-10 on the year and 7-5 in the South Atlantic Conference. After a blow-for-blow battle with the Lions throughout the first half of play, the Railsplitters came out of the locker room in the second half with all the right adjustments that put them in control of the game. Good shot selection allowed LMU to hit 61.5 percent of its shots from the floor in the final 20 minutes of play, while knocking down 50 percent from outside the circle and 73.1 percent from the free throw line. Nothing came off the boards without the Railsplitters getting a piece of it, as LMU won a 56-39 decision over Mars Hill in the rebounding battle. Although LMU had a substancial lead with a little over six minutes to play, Mars Hill's defensive pressure forced the Railsplitters into a number of turnovers down the stretch that allowed the Lions to shave the margin on several big 3-pointers by Danny Sanders (Shelby, NC) and Stoney Polite (Morganton, NC). In the end however, LMU lead proved to be too much for the Lions to overcome and the Railsplitters came away with their seventh SAC win of the season. Freshman Desmond Johnson (Lynch, KY) was a thorn in the Lion's paw all night. Johnson led both the scoring and rebounding categories with 29 points and 17 boards, while teammate D'Mario Curry (Detroit, MI) also finished with a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds. Railsplitter guard Brandon Armstrong (Decatur, GA) contributed 17 points, while Stuart Miller (Harrogate, TN) had 13. For Mars Hill, Danny Sanders carried the attack with 20 points, while guard Stoney Polite chipped in 17 and P.J. Gore (North Myrtle Beach, SC) added 16. Lions forward Akeene Coakley (Mt. Pleasant, SC) was the leading rebounder for Mars Hill with nine boards. The Railsplitters move to 13-10 overall and 7-5 in the South Atlantic Conference, while Mars Hill falls to 14-8 and 5-7 in league play ... The Lenoir-Rhyne University Men's Basketball Team (14-9, 9-4) made pulled out the 88-75 victory in double overtime over Lincoln Memorial University (13-11, 7-6) Saturday night. L-R would outscore Lincoln Memorial by a 16-3 margin in the second overtime to take the win. Senior guard Elliott McDowell (Canton, N.C.) and sophomore forward D.J. Blackmon (Albemarle, N.C.) combined for 50 points and 19 rebounds to lead Lenoir-Rhyne, who remained tied for first place in the SAC standings with Tusculum. McDowell led all scorers with 26 points while Blackmon finished with a double-double, 24 points and 10 rebounds, as the Bears avenged an earlier loss in the season to the Railsplitters. Stuart Miller (Harrogate, Tenn.) finished with a game-high 19 points including four three-pointers while Desmond Johnson (Lynch, Ky.) added 17 points in the losing effort for Lincoln Memorial. L-R jumped out to a 25-12 lead with 6:21 remaining in the first half but Lincoln Memorial closed the margin to 33-26 going into the break. Lincoln Memorial continued its rally in the second half and overtook to Lenoir-Rhyne to lead 62-56 with 3:11 left on a pair of free throws by Miller. However, the Bears would hold the Railsplitters scoreless for the rest of the half and would score the final six points, including a pair of free throws by junior guard Ryan Crawford (Stuarts Draft, Va.) with 40 seconds left, to force overtime tied at 62. The contest continued back and forth in the first stanza before Lincoln Memorial's Scott Erland (Pegram, Tenn.) forced a second overtime with a three-pointer at the top of the key with 20 seconds left. The fourth period was all L-R as it scored 14 of the last 15 points including a nine-for-10 performance from the charity stripe. LMU travels to Salisbury, NC, to face Catawba on Wednesday beginning at 8 p.m.

MARS HILL - Mars Hill lost both of their games last week. The Lions fell to 14-9 overall and 5-8 in the SAC. In the first game of the week, Lincoln Memorial broke Mars Hill's three-game winning streak with an 87-77 victory inside Tex Turner Arena. Mars Hill raced out to an 8-0 lead in the first 1:28 of the game, capped by a three-pointer by P.J. Gore (North Myrtle Beach, S.C.). Lincoln Memorial responded and grabbed its first lead of the game, 10-8, off a trey from Desmond Johnson (Lynch, Ky.) at the 14:45 mark. Both teams traded buckets for much of the rest of the half. The Lions took a 35-30 advantage off a shot from behind the arc by Danny Sanders (Shelby, N.C.) and led 35-33 at halftime. The Railsplitters began to separate from Mars Hill six minutes into the second half. With the game tied 44-all, Lincoln Memorial went on a 27-6 run, highlighted by a D'Mario Curry (Detroit, Mich.) fastbreak dunk. Two free throws by Justin Allen (Lithonia, Ga.) with 6:11 left in the game gave the Railsplitters their largest lead of the game, 71-50. Mars Hill fought back with a 23-10 run over the next 5:16 of the game. Akeene Coakley (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.), Stoney Polite (Morganton, N.C.), and Gore combined for 20 of the points during the streak. A jumper by Polite with 55 seconds left in the game cut the deficit to single digits, 81-73. Two Polite free throws with 31 seconds left made the score 83-77 in favor of Lincoln Memorial, but the Lions would get no closer. Johnson and Curry each posted double-doubles for the Railsplitters. Johnson had 28 points and 17 rebounds. Curry had 14 points and 10 rebounds. Brandon Armstrong (Decatur, Ga.) recorded 17 points and nine rebounds. Stuart Miller (Harrogate, Tenn.) had 13 points. Sanders posted 20 points and six rebounds for Mars Hill. Polite poured in 17 points. Gore finished with 16 points and six rebounds. In the second contest of the week, a Mars Hill comeback came up short as Catawba pulled out an 86-83 win Saturday inside Stanford Arena. Catawba grabbed a seven-point lead, 11-4, in the early going off a fastbreak layup by Finnur Magnusson (Reykjavik, Iceland). Mars Hill tied the game 13-all off a three-pointer by Tony Blake (Canton, N.C.). Catawba rebounded with a 15-2 run. A layup by Donzell Williams (Salem, Va.) at the 8:50 mark gave Catawba a 28-15 advantage. Trailing 30-17, Mars Hill came back with a 10-0 run. Stoney Polite (Morganton, N.C.) converted an old-fashioned three-point play with 4:52 left in the first half to make the score 30-27 in favor of Catawba. A trey from Rob Fields (Orangeburg, S.C.) gave Catawba a 35-29 lead at the 3:21 mark. A Williams layup gave Catawba its first double-digit lead, 44-34. Catawba led at the half 46-36. Polite had 13 points at the break for Mars Hill. A Donald Rutherford (Morganton, N.C.) dunk with 17:13 left in the game gave Catawba a 51-38 advantage. Catawba increased its lead to 15 points, 56-41, off a fastbreak layup by Williams. Mars Hill answered with a 19-7 run and cut the deficit to single digits, 56-47, off an eight-foot jumper by Polite. A P.J. Gore (North Myrtle Beach, S.C.) steal and slam cut the game to 62-57 at the 11:35 mark. Polite ended the streak with a three-pointer to cut the deficit to four points, 64-60, with 10:55 left in the game. Later a layup by Gore made the score 67-65, but Catawba increased its lead back to eight points, 73-65, off a fastbreak layup by Williams. The Lions rallied and cut the lead to 75-72 off a shot from Danny Sanders (Shelby, N.C.). Sanders tied the game 78-all with a shot from behind the arc with 2:41 left in the game, and Mars Hill took the lead off two Gore free throws at the 1:54 mark. Trailing 81-80, Isaac Rose (Jonesville, N.C.) hit a free throw for Catawba with 1:22 left in the game, but Dallas Johnson (Shelby, N.C.) converted a shot on the next possession to give Mars Hill an 83-81 advantage with 1:01 left in the game. Dominick Reid (Charlotte, N.C.) drained a trey from the top of the key with 51 seconds left to give Catawba back the lead, 84-83. Gore turned the ball over on the next possession but then forced a steal for the go-ahead layup attempt. His shot rimmed in and out. Fields was fouled and hit two free throws to give Catawba a three-point lead. Sanders missed a three from the top of the key to conclude the game. Rose led all Catawba scorers with 16 points. He also had nine rebounds. Williams and Rutherford each finished with 14 points. Fields had 11 points. Polite poured in a season-high 24 points for Mars Hill and was 8-13 from the floor. Gore scored 18 points. Jamarl Glen (District Heights, Md.) and Andy Miller (Franklin, N.C.) netted 11 and 10 points, respectively. Mars Hill will host Wingate Wednesday night inside Stanford Arena. Tip-time is set for 8 p.m. The Lions will then host North Greenville University on Saturday at 2 p.m. in the annual Senior Day Game. On Tuesday night MHC will have their annual live coaches show called "Inside Mars Hill Basketball with Coaches Thomas Nash and Jennifer Nance". This coach's show will be aired live on ESPN Radio 1310 and 970 Big Wise in the Asheville market. The show also will be available live on the Internet at RedZoneMedia.com.

NEWBERRY - The Newberry College men's basketball team played only once last week, but the game was a huge one as the scarlet and gray defeated Catawba College, 79-73, on Wednesday… Newberry is now 17-6 overall and 7-5 in SAC play… Newberry was ranked 8th in last week's Southeast Region rankings, and defeated Catawba, which was ranked 6th… The win completed the regular season sweep against Catawba for the first time since 2003-04, which was also the last year Newberry made it past the first round of the SAC Tournament… Newberry was led by 20-point performances from a pair of starters and a double-double off the bench… Brett Goodwell scored a game-high 23 points and grabbed seven rebounds to go with a game-best five assists, while Clemente Martin scored 21 points and snagged nine rebounds… Kendrick Johnson earned his first double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds to go with four blocked shots… Vytautas Valiulis scored 11 points in his return from a two-game absence from play… Newberry opened the game on a 7-0 run and did not allow a Catawba field goal until the 15:20 mark of the first half… The scarlet and gray stretched their lead to seven at many points in the half, but Catawba came back and tied the game at 23-all on a deep three-pointer from Antonio Houston with three minutes until the break… NC would allow only one more Catawba field goal in the half, and a jumper in the key from Ty Overmyer gave Newberry the 29-25 lead going into the locker room... Newberry was 13-of-31 (41.9 percent) from the field in the opening stanza and limited Catawba to 8-of-26 (30.8 percent) shooting, forcing 11 turnovers and blocking five shots… The scarlet and gray scored the first points of the second half, but the hosts came back to tie the game just three and a half minutes into the period... Catawba took its first lead of the game on a Rob Fields three-pointer with 14:42 to play… The two sides battled back and forth down the stretch, with neither side able to take a lead of more than four points until a strong Newberry surge in the final five minutes… After a pair of Cliff Burns free throws knotted the score at 59-all with 5:12 to play, Newberry went on an 8-0 run over the next two minutes to pull away... Goodwell and Martin were perfect from the charity stripe in the run, while Johnson and Valiulis each contributed buckets… A Goodwell three-point play with 1:57 to play gave Newberry a nine-point lead and took the wind out of Catawba's sails for good as Newberry held the hosts at bay en route to the 79-73 victory… Newberry shot 50 percent overall, including a blistering 19-of-33 (57.6 percent) in the second half… The team held Catawba to 23-of-59 (39 percent) shooting, forced 18 turnovers and blocked seven shots… The scarlet and gray will look to solidify a chance at an NCAA regional berth with two massive games this week… On Wednesday, Newberry hosts Tusculum College in Eleazer Arena for an 8 p.m. tip… On Saturday, the scarlet and gray will take on Wingate University on the road at 2 p.m…. Both contests are revenge games for Newberry, as NC lost to Tusculum on the road, 71-59, last month and lost to the Bulldogs at home, 75-68, in December.

TUSCULUM - The Tusculum Pioneers (17-7, 9-4 SAC) went 1-1 last week, dropping a 67-55 decision at Wingate, while rebounding with an 83-74 home win against archrival Carson-Newman… The Pioneers are tied for first place in the South Atlantic Conference with Lenoir-Rhyne… In the loss at Wingate, the Bulldogs made eight of their first 10 shots and led wire-to-wire to defeat Tusculum by a dozen… The loss snapped Tusculum's eight-game winning streak, the longest such run in 16 years for the Pioneers… Junior Kyle Moore established a personal milestone scoring his 1,000th collegiate point as he led all scorers with 20 markers, including five 3-pointers… Moore was the only Pioneer in double figures as sophomore Rob Troutman tallied eight markers, while senior Ryan Troutman and junior Wes Taylor finished with seven points each… The Bulldogs scored the first dozen points of the night in the first 4:42 and would lead by as many 18 in the first half at 30-12 at the 10:25 mark of the first half… After Wingate led 39-24 at the half, the Bulldogs would increase its advantage to its largest margin at 43-24 following a lay-up with 18:28 remaining… In last month's meeting, Tusculum rallied from an 18-point second half deficit en route to a 60-55 win over the Bulldogs… The Pioneers looked to repeat that performance as Tusculum battled back into the contest… TC trimmed the Wingate lead to single digits to 49-40 with 11:01 left following a three-pointer by Taylor… Wingate would score four straight points, including a basket with 9:32 left to move ahead 53-40… But TC answered with six straight markers, including four points by Moore as the Pioneers trailed 53-46 with 7:17 remaining… With Tusculum trailing 57-50 with five minutes remaining, Wingate went on a 10-2 spurt down the stretch to seal the win… Wingate forced 20 turnovers while shooting 49 percent from the field… In the Carson-Newman game, Tusculum placed five players in double figures as the Pioneers defeated the Eagles, 83-74... The Pioneers (17-7, 9-4 SAC) have won nine of their last 10, including six in a row at home to improve its home record to 12-3, establishing a new Pioneer Arena record for most wins in a season (previous best was 11 in 2003-04)… Junior Josh Bennett led all scorers with 19 points, shooting 8-for-11 from the floor and hauling in eight rebounds… Moore added 18 points, while Rob Troutman posted 16 points… Junior Jimmy Boone and freshman Taylor Hobbs scored 13 and 11 points, respectively as the Pioneers complete the season sweep over their in-state rivals… Ryan Troutman finished the day with six points, six rebounds and nine assists, while Boone was perfect on the day going 4-for-4 from the field and at the free throw line… The Eagles jumped out of the gate scoring the first five points of the game, but TC would answer with a 10-2 run that a Moore three-pointers and seven straight points by Boone as TC led 17-11 at the 11:38 mark… Tusculum would lead by six later in the period at 30-24 with 4:25 left as the Eagles got a pair three-pointers over the next 47 seconds to knot the game at 30-30… C-N would take the lead at 37-34 on a McMurray trey with 1:47 left in the half. TC would get the lead back just before the break thanks to a pair of free throws by Hobbs and a driving lay-up by Boone as the Pioneers led 38-37 at the intermission… In the second half, TC used an 11-3 run to take a 54-46 lead, thanks to three buckets by Bennett with the last coming with 13:03 left in the game. C-N would use a 9-2 spurt to tie the game at 64-64 with 6:41 left… Tusculum would respond with eight unanswered points, including a three-pointer by Rob Troutman, a pair of free throws by Ryan Troutman and a three-point play from Bennett as TC led 72-64 with 4:46 left… Carson-Newman would get as close as four (74-70) with 1:25 left, but the Pioneers made six straight free throws down the stretch to seal the win… Tusculum finished the game shooting 52.1 percent from the field, including 13-of-21 in the second half (61.9 percent)… Carson-Newman shot 44.4 percent from the floor, but only 26.9 percent from three-point land, including 1-of-12 from beyond the arc in the second half (8.3 percent)… Tusculum shot 26-for-32 from the line (81.3 percent), including 11-of-13 in the opening half (84.6 percent)… The contest was the 125th recorded meeting on the hardwood between the Pioneers and Eagles… Tusculum has recorded a three-pointer in 605 consecutive games, including 29 straight games by Moore alone… The Pioneers will be on the road for a pair of league outings this weekend, traveling to Newberry (Wed.) and Brevard (Sat.)… Moore has made 158 free throws this season, which are the third most in school and league history… He is 11 made free throws of the school record held by former two-time All-American Lenzy Houston (169 in 1979-80)… Moore is also 37 free throws shy of the SAC mark set by former Lenoir-Rhyne All-American and Tusculum assistant coach Daniel Willis (195 in 2000-01).

WINGATE - The Wingate University Bulldogs moved within one game of first place in the jumbled South Atlantic Conference standings with two victories during the week, running their winning streak to four in a row. Wingate defeated Tusculum 67-55 Wednesday night, then topped Brevard College 81-72 Saturday afternoon. The Bulldogs are now 11-12 overall and 7-5 in the SAC ... Senior guard DeMario Mattox had 12 points, four assists, three rebounds and three blocked shots as the Bulldogs led wire-to-wire in a 67-55 victory over Tusculum in Cuddy Arena ... Mattox led three Bulldogs in double figures. Bulldog junior guard Larry Staley tallied a season-high 10 points. Senior forward Tommy Coles had 10 points and seven rebounds ... Ten Bulldogs saw action Wednesday and 10 Bulldogs hit the scoring column. Wingate shot 51.6 percent from the field in the first half as the Bulldogs built a 39-24 halftime advantage. Tusculum would get no closer than seven during the second half as the Bulldogs pushed the margin to 15 points in the waning moments. Wingate shot 49.1 percent from the floor (26-of-53), while Tusculum converted on 40 percent of its field goal tries (18-of-45) ... Mattox led the Bulldogs with 19 points, seven rebounds, six assists, four steals and two blocked shots as the hosts won their fourth straight contest with an 81-72 victory over Brevard College Saturday afternoon ... Mattox hit five-of-nine field goals and nine-of-11 free throws in his team-high 34 minutes played. Three teammates joined Mattox in double figures. Wingate senior center Kenny Villines had 15 points and four steals. Staley matched his career-high with 14 points, while redshirt sophomore forward/guard Ben Davis contributed 10 markers ... Mattox keyed a crucial 10-0 Wingate run that turned a four-point lead into a 63-49 advantage with 10:43 remaining in the contest. Brevard fouled Mattox shooting a three-point field goal with 12:14 remaining. The Wingate floor general made all three free throws to give the hosts a 58-49 edge. Davis completed the run with a fast-break lay-up with 10:43 to go, helping Wingate gain its largest lead of the evening ... Wingate led 73-59 on a Davis jumper at the 3:07 plateau. Brevard made a 13-3 run, cutting the deficit to 76-72 with 48 ticks left on the clock. The Tornados would not score again, as Mattox made a statement by hitting three-of-four free throws in the waning moments. He also blocked a Brevard jumper with 11 seconds remaining ... Both teams were 28-of-62 from the floor (45.2 percent). Wingate hit 23-of-28 (82.1 percent) of its free throws. The Bulldogs turned 19 Brevard miscues into 23 points ... Mattox leads the balanced Bulldogs with 11.0 points per game. Wingate has eight student-athletes averaging between 6.5 points per game and 11.0 points per game.