BREVARD, N.C. - Backed by a career 23-point explosion by freshman guard JaMarquis Johnson (Minneola, Fla.) and 18 points by junior guard Stevie Williams (High Point, N.C.) the Brevard College Tornados (2-10) took the North Greenville University Crusaders (5-4) into overtime Friday evening, winning by a final of 80-76.
Johnson would wrap-up his career-night 8-12 from the floor and an impressive 6-8 from behind the three-point line. Williams knocked down 7-9 free-throw attempts, while pulling down a team-high nine boards and dishing out a game-high five assists. Johnson would also finish the evening with a game-high four steals, as junior D.J. Bostick (Marietta, Ga.) and senior forward Omar El Diraoui (Beirut, Lebanon) each finished with 12 and 10 points, respectively.
North Greenville's Daniel Burchette finished with a game-high 28 points, shooting 4-5 from behind the three-point arc, while collecting eight rebounds and wrapping up the night with a team-high four assists.
Following an opening layup by Burchette and the answering score by Williams, the Crusaders Miguel Cartagena would find the glass for a 4-2 North Greenville lead. However, Williams would connect from the three-point range to give Brevard their first lead of the game at 5-4.
Williams would open the evening scoring the Tornados' first seven points, before Bostick connected on back-to-back three-pointers to give BC a 13-10 lead.
Coming out of the 12-minute media break, the Crusaders would use a 16-3 run to take a 26-16 advantage, before Johnson would connect for his first points of the night, hitting from three-point range to end the NGU run.
Following Johnson's three, the Tornados used a 10-0 run to end the half, taking a 29-28 lead into the break.
Both squads would come out of the break on fire, battling to a 40-40 tie with 14 minutes remaining.
However, NGU would use a 15-5 run to take an 10-point 55-45 lead with just under 10 minutes remaining in regulation.
The resilient Tornados would not collapse. For the second time in the game they closed a 10-point deficit, using a 21-11 run to tie the game at 66-66 with 2:13 remaining in the half, on a three-point basket by El Diraoui, before ending the second half at 71-71, forcing the Tornados' first overtime game of the year.
North Greenville's Burchette would connect on a lay-up at 3:49 in overtime, to give the Crusaders' a 73-71 lead, before Bostick hit his fourth three of the game to give the Tornados back the lead 74-73.
NGU's Cartegena used a three-point basket on the Crusaders next offensive possession to give NGU back the lead 76-74.
However, that would be the last Crusaders basket the Tornados would allow, as stifling defense, a three-point dagger from Johnson, followed by another turn-around jumper in the point by Johnson and a free throw from junior Shelby Parris (Burlington, N.J.) gave Brevard the 80-76 decision.
The Tornados are set to return back to action this coming Wednesday, January 4, as they host the Anderson Trojans with tip-off set for 8 p.m.
