BANNER ELK, N.C. – Lees-McRae men's basketball dropped a tough 80-71 Conference Carolinas contest to Converse on Wednesday evening on the McNair & Debi Tornow Court.
Jeremy Golson had a team-high 15 points on 5-8 from three-point range.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Converse – 80; Lees-McRae – 71
LOCATION: McNair & Debi Tornow Court – Banner Elk, North Carolina
RECORDS: Converse (12-6/5-4); Lees-McRae (12-6/6-3)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- The Valkyries started the opening half fast with a 6-0 lead before the Bobcats got on the board with a layup from Williams Onyeodi. Converse built their lead to nine points on a triple from Kervens Yacinthe, but Lees-McRae battled back.
- The Bobcats answered with a scoring run of their own as Lees-McRae went on a 10-0 run in 1:38 of game action. Ja'Quavian Florence finished a dunk off the assist from Sidney Dollar to give the Bobcats the 19-18 margin.
- The two sides traded leads throughout the remaining 7:49 of the first half as Converse held the narrow lead at 35-31.
- Converse pushed their lead to double digits after a jumper from Uzziah Dawkins and led 46-33 with 16:40 left in the second half.
- Golson buried a three at the 12:59 mark as Lees-McRae trailed by five, but the Valkyries regained their double-digit lead and held off the Bobcats for the 80-71 win on Wednesday night.
- Golson went 5-8 from beyond the arc to lead the Bobcats and Rodney Smith followed with 12 points, three rebounds, and two assists. Nico Ashley joined Golson and Smith in double-digit scoring with 11 points and added five rebounds and five blocks.
FOR THE VALKYRIES
- Dawkins guided Converse to the win this evening with 24 points on 8-14 shooting and hauled in six rebounds. C.J. Jamison followed with 15 points in 35 minutes of play and Joel Pullen scored 14 points in the contest.
UP NEXT:
Lees-McRae men's basketball travels to Wilson, North Carolina for a Conference Carolinas matchup with Barton on Saturday at 4 p.m.
For more information on Lees-McRae Athletics, follow the Bobcats on X (@LMCBobcats), on Facebook (Lees-McRae Athletics), and on Instagram (leesmcraeathletics).
