TIGERVILLE, S.C. – Lees-McRae men's basketball senior
Jaylin Stewart connected on the game-winning shot with 7.2 seconds left as the Bobcats earned the 75-74 Conference Carolinas victory at North Greenville this evening.
Rodney Smith led four Bobcats in double figures with 16 points on a career-high 12-14 from the free-throw line.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Lees-McRae – 75; North Greenville – 74
LOCATION: Hayes Gymnasium – Tigerville, South Carolina
RECORDS: Lees-McRae (8-3/3-1); North Greenville (4-5/1-3)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- North Greenville battled back in the closing stages of the second half as the Crusaders trailed 71-64 at the 4:05 mark. NGU's Caleb Williams cut the deficit to one at 73-72 and gave the Crusaders the lead on their next offensive possession at 74-72 with 49 seconds remaining in the game.
- The Bobcats retained possession off a missed layup and Stewart registered the clutch shot with 7.2 seconds left against the Crusaders. Williams had a shot at the other end of the court, but Nico Ashley blocked the shot and North Greenville's Cadarius Sowell had a shot at the buzzer that fell short in Tigerville.
- Lees-McRae overcame a five-point deficit after the halftime break and LJ Rogers regained the Bobcat lead at 46-45 with a three at the 14:42 mark of the second half. The Bobcats grew their lead to six points after a layup from Ja'Quavian Florence with 8:17 to play, but North Greenville rallied multiple times late in tonight's contest.
- The Bobcats shot 40.0% (26-65) from the field with seven three-pointers and 16-21 from the free-throw line.
- Smith guided the Bobcats at the charity stripe with 12 of his 16 points coming at the line and Smith added five assists in 21 minutes off the bench. Rogers followed with 14 points on 4-9 from the three-point range and Florence got back into double-digit scoring with 11 points on 5-10 from the field. Stewart joined his fellow teammates in double figures with 10 points on 5-7 shooting and collected two steals in the win.
- Sidney Dollar had a solid day in Tigerville with four points, eight rebounds, and five assists and Ashley tallied five points, four boards, and one block. Timon Jones recorded seven points and four points in the start for Lees-McRae.
FOR THE CRUSADERS:
- Savion Brown, 13 points, and Justin Perry, 12 points, led North Greenville on Saturday with 25 combined points. The Crusaders also contributed seven blocks and six steals in the game.
UP NEXT:
Lees-McRae men's basketball comes back to the McNair & Debi Tornow Court for the final time in 2023 on Monday, Dec. 18 with a non-conference matchup with Johnson. The game in Banner Elk is scheduled for a 2 p.m. start.
For more information on Lees-McRae Athletics, follow the Bobcats on X (@LMCBobcats), on Facebook (Lees-McRae Athletics), and on Instagram (leesmcraeathletics).
