BANNER ELK, NC--In a game that featured eleven lead changes and
seven ties, the Lees-McRae College Bobcats came out on the wrong
side of a 66-64 contest with the visiting Anderson University
Trojans in Conference Carolinas men's basketball action Thursday
evening at Williams Gymnasium. The Bobcats fall to 3-15 (2-10
Conference Carolinas) while the Trojans move to 8-10 (6-6).
The teams traded the lead five times in the first four and a
half minutes, neither going up by more than three. With the score
11-10, the visitors would gain a short lived five point lead with a
pair of Kevis Cronwell (York, SC) free throws a Brandon Young
(Belmont, NC) field goal only to see the Bobcats claw their way
back to knot the score at 15 for the game's first tie. After
trading the lead three times and trio of ties, the Bobcats pulled
ahead 30-27 with 4:38 to play. The home side would close out the
half with a 10-4 run, taking a nine point cushion into recess.
The Bobcats and Trojans continued to battle basket-for-basket as
they had for much of the first to start the second half.
Lees-McRae would manage at least a six point lead, from the opening
whistle, taking the game's largest lead of 11, 53-42 with 8:09
remaining. A Brandon Young three pointer would ignite a 7-2 run to
cut the deficit to six for the visitors, however Raysean
Hairston (Elizabethtown, NC) would stop the bleeding with a mid
range jumper to make the count 57-49. The Trojans' Kris Fudzinskas
(Vilnius, Lithuania) would drive hard to the lane for a layup,
drawing the foul and completing the three point play to pull his
team to within five.
The Trojans would give the game its fifth and sixth ties at 57
and 59 with field goals from Young and Cornwell field goals and
just over two minutes to play. With three more lead changes, the
Trojans would go up 63-62 and 1:02 on the clock. Hairston would
split a pair of attempts from the charity strip to knot things at
63 with 0:46 to play. With possession, the Trojans would kill as
much clock as possible, draining a field goal with 15 seconds to
play. Bobcats senior guard Mario
McClunie (Knoxville, TN) took the ball hard to the basket,
picking up a foul and splitting his attempts to make the score
65-64. With nine seconds remaining the Bobcats were forced to
foul, sending Cornwell to the charity stripe with seven ticks on
the clock. After splitting his attempts from the free throw line,
the Trojans managed to hold on, escaping with an important
conference road win.
The Trojans had four players scoring in double figures with
Young leading the way netting a game high 23. Cornwell added
eleven while Kudzinskas and Stephen Cobb (Raleigh, NC) chipped in
ten each. All but two Bobcats who took the court hit the score
sheet with freshman Hairston and Nick
DeSchepper (Fishers, IN) scoring in double figures with 19 and
16 respectively.
"We had a great effort tonight, for the most part played a full
forty minutes which I am very proud of," stated Head Coach Scott
Polsgrove. "It's great to see; our young players are making plays,
and we've been playing a much better team game as of late,
competing on a more consistent basis. However we've got to
finish. That'll come with experience, and we're certainly gaining
a great deal right now."
The Bobcats, carrying ten freshman on their roster and starting
four, will look to continue their solid play in Conference
Carolinas action Saturday afternoon at Williams Gymnasium. St.
Andrew's Presbyterian provides the opposition, with tipoff
scheduled for 4:00pm.
PICTURED: Raysean Hairston
