Catawba, Brevard, Lincoln Memorial, Carson-Newman Advance In Food Lion Men’s Basketball Tournament

Top-seed Catawba College, third-seed Brevard College and fourth-seed Lincoln Memorial University all advanced in the 2010 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, while seventh-seed Carson-Newman College upset second-seed Tusculum College in quarterfinal action Wednesday night.

Saturday's semifinals will pit Catawba against Lincoln Memorial at noon, while Brevard will take on Carson-Newman at 2:30 p.m.

Printable bracket

No. 1 Catawba 87, No. 8 Newberry 60

SALISBURY, NC -- Catawba raced to an 11-0 edge a little over five minutes into the game and led by double-digits the final 34:45 in posting an 87-60 win over visiting Newberry in the opening round of the 2010 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Men's Basketball Tournament on Wednesday night at Goodman Gym. The top-seeded Catawba Indians improve to 19-9 overall and advance to face fourth-seeded Lincoln Memorial in Saturday's noon semifinal. Newberry ends its season at 10-18.

Newberry hit just one of its first 11 shots and trailed 23-2 at the 11:55 mark of the opening half. Newberry never got back into the game, pulling only as close as 17 at 28-11 with 8:04 in the half. Catawba hit on 43 percent of its shots in the first half to only 23.3 percent for Newberry as the Indians built a 42-21 edge. The Indians would lead by 20 points or more the entire second half.

Donald Rutherford (Morganton, NC/Freedom HS) led Catawba as he posted a double-double off the bench with 15 points and 13 rebounds. Freshman Stephen Coles (Danville, VA/Washington HS) followed with a dozen points and seven rebounds. Antonio Houston (Charlotte, NC/E. Mecklenburg HS) also reached double figures with 10 points, while Dominick Reid (Charlotte, NC/Cannon School) dished out seven assists.

Newberry got 13 points each from Danny Huffor (Marco Island, FL) and Ray Robinson (Jacksonville, FL). Ryan Barnes (Oviedo, FL) tallied 10 points. Stephane Bakinde (Yaounde, CAMEROON) grabbed nine rebounds, while Huffor pulled down eight boards.

At Salisbury,NC
CATAWBA 87, NEWBERRY 60
NEWBERRY
Huffor,Danny 6-13 0-0 13; Robinson,Ray 4-8 5-8 13; Barnes,Ryan 3-12 2-3 10; Bakinde,Stephane 2-7 2-2 6; Lockhart,Jawuan 2-2 1-1 5; Edwards,Aaron 2-8 0-0 5; Davis,Jeremee 1-2 1-2 3; Nelson,Perry 1-3 0-0 2; Young,Coleman 0-4 2-2 2; Cutler,Devante 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 21-62 14-20 60.
CATAWBA
Rutherford, Donald 6-11 3-6 15; Coles, Stephen 5-9 2-2 12; Houston, Antonio 4-9 0-0 10; Williams, Donzell 4-6 0-0 8; Fields, Rob 2-5 3-4 8; Reid, Dominick 2-5 0-0 6; Thomson, Stuart 1-3 3-4 6; Lovelace, Cameron 2-3 0-0 6; Martin, Lee 3-7 0-0 6; Huntley, Justin 1-4 2-2 4; Shoemaker, Trey 0-1 2-4 2; Smogner, Tomas 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 30-65 19-27 87.
Newberry............ 21 39 - 60
Catawba............. 42 45 - 87
3-point goals-Newberry 4-21 (Barnes,Ryan 2-6; Huffor,Danny 1-3; Edwards,Aaron 1-5; Nelson,Perry 0-2; Young,Coleman 0-3; Bakinde,Stephane 0-2), Catawba 8-22 (Reid, Dominick 2-4; Houston, Antonio 2-6; Lovelace, Cameron 2-2; Thomson, Stuart 1-3; Fields, Rob 1-3; Huntley, Justin 0-1; Smogner, Tomas 0-2; Martin, Lee 0-1). Fouled out--Newberry-none. Catawba-none. Rebounds-Newberry 36 (Bakinde,Stephane 9), Catawba 44 (Rutherford, Donald 13). Assists-Newberry 9 (Nelson,Perry 3), Catawba 20 (Reid, Dominick 7).
Total fouls-Newberry 20, Catawba 17. A-241

No. 7 Carson-Newman 76, No. 2 Tusculum 69

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. - Senior forward Tray Okoth (Richmond, Va.) fired in a career-high 25 points to lead Carson-Newman to a 76-69 victory over Tusculum in the first round of the 2010 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Men's Basketball Tournament on Wednesday night at Pioneer Arena.

With the win, the seventh-seeded Eagles (11-17) advance to Saturday's semifinals, where they will face third-seeded Brevard at 2:30 p.m. at Catawba Valley Community College in Hickory, N.C. The second-seeded Pioneers fall to 16-12.

Okoth went 9-of-13 from the floor, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range, to lead C-N. As a team, the Eagles shot 51 percent (23-of-45) from the field.

Sophomore guard Cameron Sharp (Knoxville, Tenn.) tossed in 18 points for the Eagles, while seniors Jordan Dixon (Clinton, Tenn.) and Darron Maxtion (Huntsville, Ala.) added 15 and 14 points, respectively, in the win.

Kyle Moore (Gainesville, Fla.) netted 21 points, including five 3-pointers, to lead Tusculum. Josh Bennett (Snow Hill, Md.) tallied 18 points in the loss.

The Eagles led for most of the first half, but a Jimmy Boone (Greeneville, Tenn.) 3-pointer tied the game at 28 with 4:09 remaining. However, C-N closed out the half on a 10-2 run capped off by a Dixon 3-pointer that gave the Eagles a 38-30 lead at the break.

C-N pushed its lead to as many as 15 points in the second half, as Okoth sank a jumper at the 7:06 mark to give the Eagles a 60-45 advantage.

The Pioneers scrapped back and were able to trim C-N's lead down to four points on a made Boone jumper with 1:26 left, but the Eagles went 14-of-16 at the free-throw line down the stretch to seal the win.

CARSON-NEWMAN 76, TUSCULUM 69
CARSON-NEWMAN (11-17)
Okoth, Tray 9-13 5-6 25; Sharp, Cameron 4-10 8-10 18; Dixon, Jordan 4-9 6-7 15; Maxtion, Darron 5-6 4-5 14; Evans, Brandon 1-2 0-0 2; Dowdell, Quinche 0-1 2-3 2; Staten, Erwin 0-4 0-0 0; Crane, Collin 0-0 0-0 0; Nicolo, Michael 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 23-45 25-31 76.
TUSCULUM (16-12)
Moore, Kyle 7-21 2-2 21; Bennett, Josh 6-8 6-6 18; Boone, Jimmy 3-11 0-0 8; Taylor, Wes 3-5 1-2 7; Steigerwald, Justin 2-4 2-2 6; Klempin, Tommy 3-3 0-0 6; Troutman, Rob 1-3 0-0 3; Grey, Dionte 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-55 11-12 69.
Carson-Newman................. 38 38 - 76
Tusculum...................... 30 39 - 69
3-point goals--Carson-Newman 5-13 (Sharp, Cameron 2-5; Okoth, Tray 2-3; Dixon, Jordan 1-3; Dowdell, Quinche 0-1; Staten, Erwin 0-1), Tusculum 8-23 (Moore, Kyle 5-14; Boone, Jimmy 2-6; Troutman, Rob 1-2; Steigerwald, Justin 0-1). Fouled out--Carson-Newman-None, Tusculum-Taylor, Wes. Rebounds--Carson-Newman 27 (Okoth, Tray 6; Dixon, Jordan 6), Tusculum 29 (Steigerwald, Justin 10). Assists--Carson-Newman 11 (Sharp, Cameron 7), Tusculum 20 (Steigerwald, Justin 9). Total fouls--Carson-Newman 14, Tusculum 20. Technical fouls--Carson-Newman-None, Tusculum-Bennett, Josh. A-347

No. 3 Brevard 88, No. 6 Wingate 79

Brevard, N.C. - Josh Roper scored 20 points in the second half as the Tornados held off a late rally by Wingate in the first round of the 2010 Food Lion South Atlantic Conference tournament at the free throw line as Brevard advanced to the semifinals with the 88-79 victory.

Roper led the way with 30 points and eight assists, while Nathan Whitmire had 13 points in the first half on his way to 18 points, hitting three three-pointers and pulling down eight rebounds as Brevard (19-9) connected on 56.6 percent (30-53) of their field goal attempts in the game. Jonathan Whitson had 15 points and a game-high nine rebounds in 35 minutes to finish in double figures, while Drew Schauss added nine points off the bench on three three's.

Paidrick Matilus led five Wingate (14-14) players in double figures with 17 points, while Odell Turner had 17 points and eight rebounds. Jaime Vaughn, Quan Alexander and Larry Staley each recorded double figures as Wingate shot 42.6 percent from the floor in the game.

Wingate opened up the game scoring the first four points as Turner placed in a jumper and Staley connected inside the arc, but the Tornados responded by scoring the next nine points capped by Roper's layup as Brevard was up 9-4 at the 17:49 mark.

The Tornados continued to press the scoring; connecting on 71.4 percent of their field goal attempts in the first half, on their way to a 17-point lead on Whitson's jumper at the 7:10 mark to put Brevard up 42-25.

Brevard would go up by 18 at the 1:48 mark on Roper's layup, but Wingate would close out the first half with a 9-0 run to put the score at 47-38 at the half.

Wingate would come out scoring the first seven points of the second half to cut the lead to two before taking their first lead since the opening minute of the game on Matilus' three-pointer at the 14:23 mark to give the Bulldogs the 52-51 lead.

The game would remain in single digits for the remainder of the contest. David Johnson hit a three-pointer to give Wingate their final lead of the contest at the 11:55 mark at 58-57, but a free throw by Whitmire tied the game up and Shane Galloway put Brevard ahead for good with a pair of free throws at the 10:49 mark.

The Tornados built their largest lead of the second half at eight on Roper's three-pointer with 4:24 remaining to put the score at 76-68. Wingate would bring the game back to within four on scores by Alexander and Vaughn, but the Tornados would again go up riding free throws by Darin Dellinger and Whitson before a layup by Whitson capped the scoring in the contest as the Tornados won, 88-79.

The Tornados advance to the semifinal round on Saturday, March 6th, as third-seed Brevard will take on seventh-seed Carson-Newman, who advances after upsetting second-seed Tusculum at Catawba Valley Community College. Tipoff for the contest is set for 2:30 p.m.

At Boshamer Gymnasium (Brevard, N.C.)
BREVARD 88, WINGATE 79
WINGATE (14-14, 7-9 SAC)
Matilus, Paidrick 8-14 0-1 18; Turner, Odell 5-12 7-8 17; Vaughn, Jaime 6-15 0-0 15; Alexander, Quan 4-8 3-3 11; Staley, Larry 4-8 2-3 10; Johnson, David 1-4 1-2 4; Smith, Chase 0-3 2-2 2; Kincaid, Ethan 1-3 0-0 2; Bilal, Michael 0-0 0-0 0; Jackson, Jesse 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 29-68 15-19 79.
BREVARD (19-9, 10-6 SAC)
Roper,Josh 10-19 9-10 30; Whitmire,Nathan 6-9 3-4 18; Whitson,Jonathan 6-9 3-6 15; Schauss,Drew 3-5 0-0 9; Dellinger,Darin 2-3 2-2 7; Carlisle,Sam 3-6 0-4 6; Galloway,Shane 0-2 3-4 3; Hudson,Donald 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 30-53 20-30 88.
Wingate....................... 38 41 - 79
Brevard....................... 47 41 - 88
3-point goals--Wingate 6-21 (Vaughn, Jaime 3-9; Matilus, Paidrick 2-5; Johnson, David 1-2; Staley, Larry 0-1; Smith, Chase 0-2; Turner, Odell 0-2), Brevard 8-16 (Schauss,Drew 3-4; Whitmire,Nathan 3-5; Roper,Josh 1-4; Dellinger,Darin 1-1; Galloway,Shane 0-2). Fouled out--Wingate-Alexander, Quan, Brevard-Whitmire,Nathan. Rebounds--Wingate 31 (Turner, Odell 8), Brevard 37 (Whitson,Jonathan 9). Assists--Wingate 14 (Matilus, Paidrick 6), Brevard 19 (Roper,Josh 8). Total fouls--Wingate 21, Brevard 17. Technical fouls--Wingate-None, Brevard-None. A-954

No. 4 Lincoln Memorial 83, No. 5 Mars Hill 70

HARROGATE, Tenn. - D'Mario Curry scored 25 points and had 22 rebounds to lead the fourth-seed Lincoln Memorial University Railsplitters over fifth-seed Mars Hill College, 83-70, in the quarterfinals of the Food Lion South Atlantic Conference Tournament.

Curry scored 17 of his team-high 25 points in the second half while grabbing 12 boards in the final twenty minutes of play. Curry eventually finished the game with his 16th double-double of the year. Curry also tallied eight blocks and four assists. Cameron Carden scored 23 points and hit six shots from behind the arc. He recorded four rebounds and the same number of assists.

The Railsplitters improve to 20-8 overall and will play no. 1 seed Catawba College in the Semifinals of the South Atlantic Conference Tournament on Saturday at noon in Hickory, North Carolina. The Lions end their season with a 15-13 overall record.

Desmond Johnson was also one of the deciding factors in the outcome of the game, scoring 15 points on 6-12 shooting from the floor and hitting three free throws.

Mars Hill's Danny Sanders (Shelby, N.C.) led all scorers with 28 points. He was 7-11 from behind the arc and added four rebounds, five steals and three blocks. Stoney Polite (Morganton, N.C.) followed with 16 points six rebounds and three assists.

The Lions led most of the first half. Mars Hill led by as many as six points on two occasions in the first half of play. Polite hit a pair of free throws to put the Lions ahead 17:11 at the 8:02 mark and then a Sanders 3-pointer gave MHC a 20-14 advantage with 6:56 left in the first period. LMU then went on a 18-10 run in the final seven minutes of the first half to take a two-point lead (32-20) into the locker room at the intermission.

Neither team shot well in the first half. MHC hit 35.3 percent (12-34) while the Railsplitters converted on only 37.1 percent (13-35) of their field goal attempts. The Lions hit 4-7 (57.1 percent) shots from behind the arc while LMU went 5-15 (33.3 percent) from 3-point range. MHC edged LMU in rebounds in the first frame, 23-22. Cardon had 17 first half points while Sanders followed with 16 to lead the Lions.

In the first seven minutes of the second half neither team led by more than a couple of points. After the scored was tied at 42-all with 12:58 left to play, LMU scored five unanswered points to lead 47-42 with 10:52 on the clock after Desmond Johnson hit a shot in the lane. The Railsplitters would not trail again.

LMU went on a 15-7 run to enjoy their largest lead of the contest of 13 points (62-49) with 7:23 left in regulation after Johnson hit a layup. The Lions then went on a 16-8 run of their own to cut the deficit to just five points (70-65) with 3:03 left in the contest but that would be as close as they would get. The Lions were forced to foul and LMU converted on 9-14 shots at the charity stripe in the final minutes of play to hold on to the victory and advance to the SAC Tournament semifinals. LMU will face No. 1 seeded Catawba Saturday evening in Hickory, N.C.

MHC converted on only 34.3 percent (24-70) of their field goals as opposed to LMU who hit 44.1 percent (30-68) of their shots. The Lions were 10-24 (41.7 percent) from bend the arc and hit 92.3 percent (12-13) of their foul shots. The Railsplitters hit only 55.6 percent (15-27) of their free throw attempts. LMU won the battle of the boards, 49-40. The game saw seven lead changes and four ties.

LINCOLN MEMORIAL 83, MARS HILL 70
MARS HILL (10-12)
Sanders,Danny 10-20 1-2 28; Polite,Stoney 4-17 6-6 16; Pickering,Jarred 3-10 2-2 8; Malachi,Dion 2-8 2-2 6; Johnson,Dallas 2-8 0-0 4; Lyerly,Antonio 1-2 0-0 3; Mack,Julian 1-3 1-1 3; Krdzalic,Almir 1-1 0-0 2; McElroy,Robin 0-1 0-0 0; Anderson,JaShawn 0-0 0-0 0; Patton,Austin 0-0 0-0 0; Rice,Barry 0-0 0-0 0; Kostic,Petar 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-70 12-13 70.
LINCOLN MEMORIAL (20-8)
Curry, D'Mario 10-14 5-7 25; Carden,Cameron 7-12 3-4 23; Johnson,Desmond 6-12 3-8 15; Armstrong,Brandon 3-10 1-4 9; Miller,Stuart 1-5 2-2 4; Jones,Wally 1-6 1-2 3; Vil,Marc-David 1-7 0-0 2; Allen,Justin 1-1 0-0 2; Craig,Dustin 0-0 0-0 0; O'Brien,Brandon 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 30-68 15-27 83.
Mars Hill..................... 30 40 - 70
Lincoln Memorial.............. 32 51 - 83
3-point goals--Mars Hill 10-24 (Sanders,Danny 7-11; Polite,Stoney 2-7; Lyerly,Antonio 1-2; Johnson,Dallas 0-1; Pickering,Jarred 0-3), Lincoln Memorial 8-24 (Carden,Cameron 6-11; Armstrong,Brandon 2-5; Miller,Stuart 0-3; Jones,Wally 0-3; Vil,Marc-David 0-2). Fouled out--Mars Hill-Johnson,Dallas, Lincoln Memorial-None. Rebounds--Mars Hill 40 (Malachi,Dion 8), Lincoln Memorial 49 (Curry, D'Mario 22). Assists--Mars Hill 13 (Krdzalic,Almir 3; Polite,Stoney 3), Lincoln Memorial 18 (Vil,Marc-David 6). Total fouls--Mars Hill 19, Lincoln Memorial 15. Technical fouls--Mars Hill-None, Lincoln Memorial-None. A-808