BREVARD, N.C. – Despite a big comeback in the second half, the Brevard College men's basketball team (5-5, 0-1 USAS) dropped its USA South Conference opener 92-87 to visiting Southern Virginia (10-2, 1-0 USAS) on Saturday afternoon at the Boshamer Gymnasium.
 
Senior KK Horton scored a career-high 26 points to lead the Tornados.  Horton also set new career marks in field goals made (10) and 3-pointers made (four) en route to topping his previous career high of 23 points set last season vs. Pfeiffer.
 
BC junior Jadon Carnes scored 16 points, going 6-of-10 from the field and 4-of-7 from beyond the arc.  Freshman Brennan Wansley registered 12 points, while the reigning USA South Rookie of the Week Twain Wilson scored nine points and dished out four assists off the bench.  Senior Charles Reed scored seven points with a team-best five rebounds and four steals.
 
Southern Virginia's Eli Ballstaedt led all scorers with 32 points, aided by an 11-of-14 performance on the free throw line.  Tillman Johnson recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds to go along with six assists.
 
The two teams played an even first half for the first 12 minutes of the contest with the score tied 23-23 with eight minutes to play before the break.  Southern Virginia proceeded to outscore the Tornados 27-13 to close out the first half and take a 50-36 lead into intermission.
 
Brevard roared back into the contest with a strong start to the second half as Wansley scored the team's first five points.  Horton then exploded, scoring eight straight points on two 3-pointers and a layup off an assist by Carnes.  With the deficit in single digits, SVU held off Brevard for several minutes until a tip-in by Reed plus a free throw cut the difference to two points.  Horton followed with another 3-pointer to give BC a 71-70 lead with 8:34 to play.
 
The two teams traded buckets for much of the game's remaining minutes culminating with another Horton field goal to make the deficit 88-87 with 1:33 to play.  SVU however made three defensive stops and to close out the game, while scoring the games last four points to ensure the win.
 
The back-and-forth affair featured 16 lead changes and 10 tied scores.  Both teams shot well from the field with BC shooting 57.9% and SVU posting a 51.6% field goal percentage.  Free throws were a major factor as SVU went 19-of-23 from the line compared to just 8-of-12 for the Tornados.  The Knights further capitalized on 18 second-chance points off 11 offensive rebounds.
 
Brevard will return to USA South Conference play on Tuesday to take on Mary Baldwin in BC's first league road trip of the year.  Tipoff between the Tornados and the Fighting Squirrels is set for 5 p.m. in Staunton, Virginia
 
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