BREVARD, N.C. - The Brevard College men's basketball team (10-8, 5-4 USA South) pulled out an 81-72 victory over Mary Baldwin (10-9, 5-4 USAS) on Saturday afternoon at the Boshamer Gymnasium.
The Tornados took down the defending USA South Conference Tournament Champion Fighting Squirrels, avenging a road loss at the hands of MBU earlier this season.
BC was led by a balanced offense, paced by Jadon Carnes' 19 points on an efficient 8-for-12 from the field, as Carnes added six rebounds, three assists, and two steals to his ledger. KK Horton stuffed the box score with 17 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists - helping ice the contest at the line going 9-for-11 at the charity stripe, while Charlie Hester added 11 points and five boards. BC's dynamic freshman duo of Brennan Wansley and Twain Wilson scored nine points apiece, while Brock McKnight drilled a pair of 3-pointers off the bench.
BC, the nation's leader at the NCAA DIII level in field goal percentage, went 29-for-52 from the field at a 55.8% clip compared to MBU's 44.3% mark. MBU hit 11 3-pointers to Brevard's eight, but Brevard held a 38-28 edge on points in the paint, and made 15 free throws to MBU's seven.
The Fighting Squirrels were paced by DJ Via, who hit four 3's off the bench to lead the squad with 12 points. Jaden Ignacio (11 points) and Zach Sloan (10 points) also reached double figures, with Sloan dishing six assists out. Raymond Benton snagged eight caroms to lead all Fighting Squirrels.
Saturday's back-and-forth affair included three ties and 10 lead changes though the 40 minutes of action.
Six quick points by Hester fueled a 12-3 Tornado run through the first four minutes of action. BC forced MBU into three early turnovers before the under-16 timeout. Carnes and Wilson hit a pair from beyond the arc as well.
MBU used an onslaught of 3-pointers to tie things up at 18-all with 11 minutes to go in the half, utilizing a 15-3 run that included four made 3's. Wilson hit a turnaround jumper from midrange to stop the run, but Mary Baldwin took its first lead of the game after their sixth made 3-pointer of the half – holding a 21-20 edge with 7:53 remaining in the period.
High-paced play from both sides left the score tied 33-all at the 3:28 mark, with McKnight providing a spark for the Tornados with a pair of 3's.
BC outpaced Mary Baldwin 10-5 down the stretch to take a five-point edge, 43-38, into the intermission. Carnes and Hester paced Brevard's balanced offense with 10 points apiece, while Horton led all Tornados with five assists. Carnes climbed the glass for a team-high four boards at the break, and led all Tornados with two steals at the half. Overall, Brevard made 19 of its 33 attempts from the field (57.6%) MBU slightly led the rebounding battle, 16-14, while BC's defense forced eight turnovers that it turned into eight points. Brevard doubled Mary Baldwin up on points in the paint (24-12).
Buckets by Carnes and Horton propelled BC through the first four minutes of the second half, as the Tornados opened up a nine-point lead, 49-40. Mary Baldwin answered back with a 10-3 spurt to cut the deficit to two points, 52-50, with 12:54 left to play. MBU used an and-one layup to retake the lead, 56-55.
Mary Baldwin opened up a five-point lead, 60-55, but BC answered in a big way, rattling off a game-changing 17-3 run to take a nine point lead of its own with 2:29 left to go. The Tornados were propelled during the run by several thrilling hustle plays, saving lose balls and creating steals to capitalize on the offensive end. The Bosh was electrified specifically by one play in particular, as Carnes drained a 3-pointer at the 7:52 mark as the shot clock expired, off a loose ball save by Dre'Shaun Brown, as the triple gave BC a lead it would not relinquish.
Horton swiped a loose ball and finished through contact on the other end to put BC up by 11, 74-63. Both sides traded points before a MBU 3-pointer by DJ Via cut the Brevard lead to eight points, 76-68, with 1:29 to go.
The Tornados were able to ice the game from that point at the free throw line, as Horton and Charles Reed went 5-for-6 at the stripe to help BC clinch the nine-point win.
Brevard is back in action in Misenheimer, North Carolina next Tuesday, February 4 at 7 p.m. against Pfeiffer.
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-BC-
