BANNER ELK, N.C. –
Malik McConnell finished with a game-high 22 points to go along with six rebounds, four assists, and four steals as the Lees-McRae men's basketball team closed on a 19-3 run en route to clinching the 88-82 win over visiting Chowan in the Conference Carolinas opener this evening.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Lees-McRae – 88; Chowan – 82
LOCATION: McNair & Debi Tornow Court – Banner Elk, North Carolina
RECORDS: Lees-McRae (3-1/1-0), Chowan (0-2/0-1)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- McConnell shot 7 of 12 from the field and 8 of 9 from the charity stripe to lead the Bobcats, while Justin Nichelson chipped in 16 points, three rebounds, two blocks and three steals.
- Drew Gardner and Timon Jones scored 14 and 11 points and tallied five rebounds and five assists respectively.
- Jaylin Stewart and Sidney Dollar both added eight points off the bench, with London England chipping in five points, four rebounds and a team-high six assists.
- Lees-McRae sprinted out of the gates by scoring 25 of the 35 points to take an early lead, but failed to maintain the momentum as Chowan trimmed the deficit down to 38-36 with two minutes left before halftime.
- Nichelson connected on a pair of late free throws to give the Bobcats a 44-41 halftime lead.
- The Hawks shifted momentum from the opening seconds of the second half and extended its lead to 69-54 with 11:31 minutes to play.
- Lees-McRae slowly chipped away at the lead until a Stewart dunk gave the Bobcats a 81-79 lead with a minute remaining.
- The Bobcats tallied five late free throws to clinch the conference win.
- Lees-McRae held a 28-17 edge in points off of turnovers and a 44-32 advantage in points in the painted area.
FOR THE FOES:
- Three Hawks scored double-digit points, led by Jay Estime with 16 points and six rebounds.
- R.J. Wilson and Christian Koonce added 14 and 13 points respectively.
UP NEXT:
The Bobcats will return to conference play on Tuesday, Nov. 30 as they host "Battle for the Blue Ridge Cup" rival King at 7 p.m.
For more information on Lees-McRae Athletics, follow the Bobcats on Twitter (@LMCBobcats), on Facebook (Lees-McRae Athletics), and on Instagram (leesmcraeathletics).
