JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Malik McConnell,
Timon Jones, and
Drew Gardner all scored in double figures, while the Lees-McRae men's basketball team held UVA Wise to 31 percent shooting from the field and forced 20 turnovers en route to an 80-52 win over the Cavaliers in the final game of the SAC vs. Conference Carolinas Challenge this afternoon.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Lees-McRae – 80; UVA Wise – 52
LOCATION: Holt Fieldhouse – Jefferson City, Tennessee
RECORDS: Lees-McRae (1-1), UVA Wise (0-2)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- McConnell paced the Bobcats with a game-high 15 points on 7 of 15 shooting to go along with five rebounds, three assists, and a steal off the bench.
- Jones added 12 points on 4 of 5 shooting from distance, while Gardner finished with 11 points, six rebounds, and two assists.
- Jaylin Stewart chipped in eight points and four rebounds, with Cale Harris also tallying seven points and six rebounds.
- Both teams traded points for the first 10 minutes of action until the Bobcats used a 10-0 run to grab the early momentum.
- Lees-McRae extended its lead to 43-28 on a fastbreak layup by Stewart, but UVA Wise scored the final two points of the half to keep the lead at 43-30 at the halftime whistle.
- The Bobcats quickly pushed the lead to over 20 points, on a fastbreak layup by England with 16:20 left in the contest, and never looked back.
- Lees-McRae extended the lead to as many as 31 points on a three-point field goal by Jones with 4:29 remaining to clinch the non-conference win.
- The Bobcats shot 43 percent from the floor and held a 50-39 edge in rebounding en route to a 17-8 advantage in second-chance points.
FOR THE FOES:
- Jeff Jackson Jr. scored a team-high 12 points to go along with eight rebounds to lead the Cavaliers, while Kaeleb Carter chipped in 11 points.
UP NEXT:
The Bobcats will travel to Hickory, North Carolina on Saturday, Nov. 20 for a non-conference contest against Lenoir-Rhyne at 2 p.m.
For more information on Lees-McRae Athletics, follow the Bobcats on Twitter (@LMCBobcats), on Facebook (Lees-McRae Athletics), and on Instagram (leesmcraeathletics).
