Box score
BREVARD, N.C. --- The Brevard College men's
basketball team rallied from a late deficit in the second half, and
held off a last-minute surge by Lees-McRae College en route to a
71-66 victory on Monday evening in non-conference play.
Brevard (1-7) posted a field goal percentage of 41 percent on
the evening, including a 44.8 percent clip in the first half, as
Lees-McRae (0-5) recorded a 42.9 percent mark from the floor. The
Bobcats won the battle on the glass by a 42-33 margin, including a
17-13 edge on the offensive boards, as Brevard converted 15 LMC
miscues into 23 points.
Daniel Sepokas (Illawong, Australia) paced the Bobcats with 17
points on 5-of-9 shooting, while going 6-for-8 from the charity
stripe. Asad Lamot (Mebane, N.C.) added 13 points, three assists,
and three steals, as Gideon Oji (Imane in Kogi, Nigeria) chipped in
eight markers and a team-high seven rebounds.
Gaither Hendrix poured in a game-high 20 points on 7-of-15
shooting to lead the way for Brevard, as Darius Moose nearly
recorded a double-double with 13 markers and a contest-best nine
rebounds. Drew Schauss added 12 points, as Hendrix and Jermichael
Tanner each dished out a game-high four assists.
Brevard got off to a hot start in the first half, taking an
early 13-6 lead on a three-pointer by Gerel Simmons before the
Bobcats responded with a 6-2 spurt, trimming the margin to 15-12 on
an Oji layup at the 12:11 mark.
After Brevard pushed the lead to 28-17 with a 13-5 run, the
Bobcats answered with a 13-2 surge, evening the tally at 30-30
following an Oji layup with 1:03 to go in the half. Brevard then
countered with a 5-0 spurt to take a 35-30 lead into the
intermission after a buzzer-beating layup by Tanner.
Lees-McRae answered in the early moments of the second half,
opening the period with an 11-4 run to take a 41-39 lead on a pair
of freebies by Jeremiah Henry (Semmes, Ala.) at the 15:10 mark.
After Brevard answered with a 6-0 spurt to take a 45-41 lead, the
Bobcats countered with a 12-3 surge, opening their largest lead of
the game at 53-48 on a Will Lopez (Sydney, Australia) triple at the
8:00 mark.
Brevard countered once again, launching a 15-4 run over the next
five and a half minutes to take a 63-57 lead on a three-point play
by Moose with 2:33 to play. The Tornadoes would hold on from there,
pushing the margin to 68-59 on a Schauss triple two minutes later
before Sepokas closed out the game with a last-second
three-pointer.
Lees-McRae returns to the court on Thursday when the Bobcats
travel to Greeneville, Tenn. to resume their previously suspended
contest against Tusculum College. Play was suspended on Nov. 22
with Tusculum leading 44-30 at the 17:28 mark of the second half.
The contest will resume at 7 p.m. in Pioneer Arena.
- LMC -
