Box score
BANNER ELK, N.C. --- Davon Gilliard
(Charleston, S.C.) poured in a game-high 17 points to lead the
Pfeiffer University men's basketball team to a 75-69 win over
Lees-McRae College on Wednesday night in Conference Carolinas
action.
Pfeiffer (4-3, 2-0 CC) converted 20-of-24 attempts at the free
throw line on the night, while transforming 24 Lees-McRae (3-3, 0-1
CC) turnovers into 18 points. The Bobcats won the battle on the
glass by a 39-31 margin, including a 14-11 advantage on the
offensive boards, while knocking down 45.5 percent of their
attempts from the floor. Pfeiffer connected on 40.4 percent of its
field goal attempts, including a 5-for-12 second half from beyond
the arc.
Gilliard paced the Falcons with 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting,
dishing out a game-high five assists while going 3-for-4 from the
charity stripe. Jeff Pettiway (Edgewood, Ind.) and Chris Woods
(Thomasville, N.C.) tallied 15 and 14 points, respectively, while
Josh Humphrey (Matthews, N.C.) posted 13 markers and a team-high
seven rebounds.
Sophomore Daniel Sepokas (Illawong, Australia) equaled
Gilliard's game-high of 17 points for the Bobcats, knocking down
5-of-8 shots from the floor and 2-of-5 from downtown while dishing
out a team-high four assists. Adam McFerran (Stow, Ohio) and Sam
Youse (Winston-Salem, N.C.) joined Sepokas in double figures with
10 points each, while Dairl Scott, Jr. (Pfafftown, N.C.) pulled
down a game-high nine rebounds. McFerran chipped in seven boards of
his own, while DeAndre Tillman (Charlotte, N.C.) posted a game-high
two blocks.
Neither team held more than a six-point lead for the duration of
the game, a contest which featured 14 lead changes and 10 ties. The
Bobcats started the game on a strong note, rebounding from an early
5-3 deficit with a 6-0 run, opening their largest lead of the
contest on a McFerran layup with 16:32 on the clock to take a 9-5
advantage.
Pfeiffer would battle back, launching a 10-2 run to take a 15-11
lead on a Humphrey triple at the 14:25 mark. Youse answered right
away for the Bobcats, knocking down a three-pointer to trim the
margin to 15-14 and kick-start a 9-3 LMC run, which was capped by a
Tillman put-back that gave Lees-McRae a 20-18 lead with 10:36
remaining in the half.
After the Falcons responded with an 8-2 run to reclaim the lead
at 26-22, the Bobcats answered with a 4-0 spurt to even the score
at 26-26 on a pair of free throws by Tevin Friday (Gastonia, N.C.)
with 5:53 left in the period. The two teams would trade the
advantage twice in the final five minutes of the half, with
Pfeiffer closing the period with a 4-0 spurt to take a narrow 38-35
lead into the intermission.
Lees-McRae answered quickly early in the second half, evening
the score at 38-38 on an early three-pointer by Reshon Benjamin
(Valdosta, Ga.). After Pettiway and Sepokas each connected from
downtown to keep the score knotted at 41-41, the Falcons went on
the attack, launching a 10-4 run to open their largest lead of the
game at 51-45 with 14:12 left on the clock.
The Bobcats answered with a run of their own, reclaiming the
lead with a 9-2 run to take a 54-53 advantage on a clutch driving
layup by Gerry Hairston (Winston-Salem, N.C.) After Pfeiffer
answered with a pair of free throws and the Bobcats responded with
a 4-0 spurt to take a 58-55 advantage, the Falcons took control,
launching a 9-2 run of their own to take a 64-60 lead with 6:58 to
play.
Lees-McRae would stay within striking distance for much of the
final seven minutes, pulling within two on a trio of occasions
before Pfeiffer closed out the win with a 4-0 spurt over the last
minute and a half to claim a hard-fought 75-69 victory.
The Bobcats return to the court on Saturday when they travel to
Wilson, N.C. to take on Barton College to continue their conference
schedule. Tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m. in Wilson Gym.
- LMC -
