Box score
BANNER ELK, N.C. --- The Lees-McRae College
men's basketball team placed three players in double figures,
outscoring Pfeiffer University by a 44-25 margin in the first half
and holding on for a 70-61 victory in Conference Carolinas play on
Saturday afternoon in Williams Gymnasium.
Lees-McRae (2-9, 2-1 CC) shot 52.8 percent from the floor on the
evening, including a blistering 63 percent clip in the first half,
while holding Pfeiffer (8-5, 2-1 CC) to a field goal percentage of
29.2 percent in the contest. The Bobcats edged the Falcons by a
33-32 margin on the glass, including a 24-19 advantage on the
defensive boards, while converting 16 Pfeiffer miscues into 21
points.
Junior DJ Brown (Anderson, S.C.) paced the Bobcats with 14
points on 4-of-8 shooting from outside the arc, as Jeremiah Henry
(Semmes, Ala.) and BJ Battle (Orlando, Fla.) chipped in 12 and 11
markers, respectively. Henry and Battle each posted game-highs of
eight rebounds and four assists, while DeAndre Tillman (Charlotte,
N.C.) added a contest-best three blocks.
The Bobcats never trailed in the game, opening an early 14-7
lead in the first half on Brown's triple at the 14:42 mark before
Pfeiffer cut the margin to 25-21 with a 14-11 spurt over the next
six minutes. Lees-McRae would answer with a 19-4 run over the final
eight minutes of the half, taking a 44-25 lead into the
intermission following a pair of freebies by Henry with less than a
minute to go.
Pfeiffer began to chip away at the lead over the first 10
minutes of the second half, cutting the margin to 51-39 on a pair
of Hollinger free throws at the 10:09 mark. After Brown knocked
down a triple to push the lead to 54-39, Pfeiffer answered with a
9-0 run to trim the margin to 54-48 on and four free throws and a
jumper from Hollinger with 7:21 to play.
The Bobcats would push the margin to 59-48 before the Falcons
countered once again, scoring eight quick points to cut the lead to
59-56 on a Hollinger jumper at the 4:03 mark. Sophomore Will Lopez
(Sydney, Australia) knocked down a clutch three-pointer for the
Bobcats a minute later, pushing the lead to 63-57 before a layup by
Pfeiffer's Danny Smith cut the margin back to three at 63-60.
A foul and a subsequent technical by the Falcons swung the
momentum back in Lees-McRae's favor 30 seconds later, as Brown and
Lopez converted three of four free throws to push the margin to
66-60 with less than two minutes to play. The Bobcats would hold on
from there, converting four additional opportunities at the line to
equal the final margin of 70-61.
Lees-McRae returns to the court on Tuesday when the Bobcats host
Erskine College in conference play at 7:30 p.m. in Williams
Gymnasium.
- LMC -
