Box score
BANNER ELK, N.C. --- Daniel Sepokas (Illawong,
Australia) scored 13 of his game-high 20 points in the second half
to lead the Lees-McRae College men's basketball team to a 64-56 win
over Erskine College on Thursday night in Conference Carolinas
play.
Lees-McRae (6-14, 2-10 CC) shot 49 percent from the field on the
night, including a blistering 57.1 percent (12-of-21) in the second
half, while holding Erskine (2-17, 1-11 CC) to a 43.5 percent clip
overall. The Flying Fleet edged the Bobcats by a 32-30 margin on
the glass, including a 20-17 advantage on the defensive boards, as
Lees-McRae converted 19 miscues into 25 points.
Sepokas knocked down 7-of-9 attempts from the floor, including a
2-for-4 clip from beyond the arc, en route to his game-high total
of 20 points. Adam McFerran (Stow, Ohio) and Gerry Hairston
(Winston-Salem, N.C.) joined Sepokas in double figures with 14 and
11 points, respectively, as Sepokas dished out a game-high four
assists.
DeShaun Hall (Inman, S.C.) paced the Flying Fleet with 15 points
on 5-of-9 shooting while Casey Sorrell (Walton, Ky.) added 14
points of his own. Chris Gore (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) posted a
game-high 12 rebounds for Erskine, while Adison Lawrence (Greer,
S.C.) added nine boards and a squad-best three assists.
Lees-McRae opened the game on an 8-3 run before Erskine
responded, evening the score at 8-8 with a 5-0 spurt that was
capped by a Brandon Quarles (Landrum, S.C.) layup with 14:01 left
in the half. Neither team opened a lead of more than six points for
the remainder of the period, with Lees-McRae closing out the half
on a 7-0 spurt to take a 29-24 lead into the intermission following
a last-second dunk by Tevin Friday (Gastonia, N.C.).
Erskine would stay within striking distance early in the second
half, tying the score at 35-35 on a Lawrence layup before
Lees-McRae responded, launching a 10-2 run to take a 45-37 lead on
a Friday layup with 11:07 to play. The Flying Fleet answered once
again, responding with a 12-3 run to take a 49-48 advantage on a
triple by Filip Pejovic (Prijepolje, Serbia) with 6:04 left in the
contest.
Lees-McRae refused to back down, countering with a 4-0 spurt to
reclaim the lead at 52-49 following a steal and athletic reverse
over-the-head pass by Sepokas, which set up an uncontested fast
break layup by Hairston. The Bobcats continued to dictate the tempo
over the next four minutes, pushing the margin to 61-52 on a triple
by Sepokas with 59 ticks left to put the game out of reach.
Lees-McRae returns to the hardwood on Saturday when the Bobcats
travel to Laurinburg, N.C. to take on St. Andrews Presbyterian
College to continue their conference slate with a 4 p.m. matchup.
The Knights won the teams' first meeting on Jan. 15 with a 102-97
overtime victory.
- LMC -
