Box score
BANNER ELK, N.C. --- The Belmont Abbey College
men's basketball team utilized a strong defensive effort, and
superb free throw shooting en route to an 80-67 win over Lees-McRae
College in Conference Carolinas action on Thursday night in
Williams Gymnasium.
Belmont Abbey (8-8, 4-5 CC) shot 45.3 percent from the field,
including a 58.1 percent clip in the second half, while holding
Lees-McRae (3-12, 0-8 CC) to a 36.5 percent mark from the floor on
the night. The Crusaders won the battle on the glass by a 46-40
margin, including a 32-22 advantage on the defensive boards, while
outscoring the Bobcats 12-2 on the fast break.
Adam McFerran (Stow, Ohio) paced the Bobcats with a
double-double, recording 17 points and 10 rebounds while going
8-for-15 from the field. Tevin Friday (Gastonia, N.C.) joined
McFerran in double figures with 12 points, as Daniel Sepokas
(Illawong, Australia) and Matt Eller (Lake Norman, N.C.) each
tallied 11 markers. Sepokas also dished out a game-high six
assists, as DeAndre Tillman (Charlotte, N.C.) and Sam Youse
(Winston-Salem, N.C.) each recorded a contest-best two blocks.
Tyshawn Good (Jamaica, N.Y.) paced the Crusaders with a
game-high 26 points, connecting on 8-of-16 attempts from the field
and going a perfect 10-for-10 at the charity stripe. Richard
Barbee, Jr. (Virginia Beach, Va.) and Kyle Phillips (Lexington,
S.C.) each recorded a double-double for the Abbey, pouring in 17
and 10 points, respectively, while also each tallying a game-high
11 rebounds.
The Abbey scored the first five points of the game before
Lees-McRae responded, launching a 14-2 run to take a 14-7 lead with
14:19 left in the half on three straight triples by Eller, McFerran
and Youse. Belmont Abbey answered with a run of its own, cutting
the lead to 16-14 with a 7-2 spurt that was capped by a Matthew
Beerse (Morrow, Ohio) triple at the 9:45 mark.
Lees-McRae would hold the lead for the next seven minutes until
Barbee, Jr. converted a critical four-point play with 1:28 left in
the half, knocking down the three-pointer and converting the
ensuing free throw to even the score at 32-32. Friday then
converted a late free throw to send the Bobcats into the
intermission with a narrow 33-32 lead.
The Bobcats carried the momentum into the second half, opening
the period on a 10-4 run to take a 43-36 lead on a Tillman layup
with 17:13 to play. Belmont Abbey would battle back, taking a 47-45
lead on a Good jumper at the 12:23 mark on the heels of an 11-2
run. Lees-McRae answered with a 7-4 spurt, claiming a narrow 52-51
margin on a Sepokas layup before the Abbey countered, launching a
7-0 run to take a 58-52 lead with 9:42 to play, an advantage which
it would not relinquish for the remainder of the game.
After the Abbey stretched the lead to 64-54 with a 6-2 spurt,
Lees-McRae answered with a pair of buckets to cut the margin to
64-58 on a McFerran layup with 4:57 left on the clock. Belmont
Abbey would take control from there, closing out the win with a
16-9 run to equal the final margin of 80-67.
Lees-McRae returns to the court on Saturday when the Bobcats
host Barton College (10-7, 5-4 CC) to continue its conference
schedule. Tip-off is slated for 4 p.m. in Williams Gymnasium as the
LMC athletic department hosts Suits and Sneakers as part of the
American Cancer Society's Coaches vs. Cancer.
- LMC -
