RADFORD 98, UNC ASHEVILLE 88 (OT)
Radford placed six players in double figures and shot 54.4 percent from the floor to defeat UNC Asheville 98-88 in overtime Saturday evening at Peters Hall.  The victory was the third straight for the Highlanders and their fourth consecutive Big South win as they improve to 7-9 overall and 4-1 in the league, while UNCA falls to 7-9 and 3-2.

Joey Lynch-Flohr (Fairfax, Va./Fairfax), who just missed tying his career-high, connected on 8-of-9 from the floor and went 6-for-7 at the line to lead Radford with 22 points.  Amir Johnson (Pittsburgh, Pa/Quaker Valley) knocked down 10 of his 13 attempts from the stripe to finish with 18 points.  To go along with his scoring total, Johnson pulled down seven rebounds and handed out seven assists in 45 minutes of action.  Also in double digits for the Highlanders were Kenny Thomas (Richmond, Va./Highland Springs) and Art Parakhouski (Minsk, Belarus), who added 15 points each, while Eric Hall (Greensboro, N.C./Ben L. Smith) and Chris McEachin (Norfolk, Va./Norview) contributed 11 and 10 off the bench, respectively.

Following a pair of Johnson free throws that put the Highlanders up 80-75 with 24 seconds remaining in regulation, Jason Ridenhour quickly cut the lead to one, 80-79, with a three-pointer and free throw in consecutive trips.  With just five ticks left on the clock, Thomas made the second of two tries at the charity stripe to make it a two point contest, but UNCA’s Matt Dickey drove the length of the floor and hit a layup from the left side as time expired to send the game into overtime.  After trading free throws to find themselves tied 85-85 in overtime, Radford closed the extra session on a 13-3 run to put the game away and add to its longest conference winning streak since 2006.  The Highlanders finished the evening 32-of-43 (74.4 percent) from the line, including a 9-for-10 effort in overtime.

Reid Augst led three UNC Asheville players in double digits with a game-high 27 points on 9-of-18 shooting.  Sean Smith finished with 18 and Chris Stephenson tallied 14 for the Bulldogs.  Radford, which connected on 11 of its first 13 shots from the floor, including three buckets from downtown, led 44-35 at the half.  The Highlanders concluded the first 20 minutes of action shooting 61.5 percent (16-26) and led by as many as 12 twice.  The Bulldogs managed to keep the game close thanks to a 7-of-12 (58.3 percent) showing from behind the three-point arc in the opening period.  To go along with its hot-shooting, Radford outscored the Bulldogs 48-28 in the paint.  The Highlanders also got 29 points from their bench.

UNC Asheville slowly chipped away at the nine point halftime deficit and tied the contest for the first time since the opening tip, 66-66 on a Reid Augst trey with 6:14 remaining.  The Highlanders answered the UNCA spurt with six straight points to make it a 72-66.  UNC Asheville tied the score on four separate occasions, but never led in the contest.  The Highlanders, who entered the contest ranked first in the Big South in rebounding margin, controlled the glass 45-32.

Radford will conclude its brief homestand with a 7:00pm contest against Charleston Southern Monday at Peters Hall.  Asheville hosts High Point Tuesday night at 7:00pm.

WINTHROP 54, PRESBYTERIAN 53 (OT)
Freshman guard Andre Jones drilled a 3-pointer from the left corner with sixteen seconds left in overtime to give Winthrop a 54-53 Big South Conference victory over Presbyterian Saturday night in the Templeton Center.  Jones finished the game with a career-tying 13 points to lead Winthrop (3-11, 2-3 Big South).  Presbyterian (6-10, 3-2) was led by Al'Lonzo Coleman with 20 points. 

Winthrop led 21-19 in the low-scoring contest and had a chance to win the game in regulation, but Reggie Middleton missed a 15-footer at the buzzer with the score tied at 47-47.  The Eagles claimed a 49-47 lead in the first 28 seconds of overtime on a turnaround jumper by Charles Corbin in the lane.  Coleman knotted the score at 49 with a layup with 3:14 on the clock, but Corbin quickly gave Winthrop the lead again at 51-49 with another short jumper with 2:54 on the clock.  Four straight free throws by the Blue Hose, including two by Coleman with 1:20 remaining gave PC a 53-51 lead and set up the final frantic minute of play.  Following a Winthrop timeout, the Eagles ran Jones off a baseline screen to the corner where he took the pass from Middleton and drilled the game-winner.

Winthrop's defense proved decisive in the game as it held Presbyterian to 33 percent shooting from the floor (13-39).  The defensive effort was especially important because PC tripled Winthrop on made free throws (23-7) and outrebounded the Eagles 35-27.  The Eagles got to overtime thanks to a big drive and lefthanded layup by Mantoris Robinson with 27 seconds left in regulation that gave Winthrop a 47-46 lead.  He was fouled on the shot, but missed the three throw.  Coleman had a chance to put his team ahead as he was fouled on a drive to the basket with nine seconds remaining, but he connected on just one of his two free throws.  Winthrop put the ball in Middleton's hands, but the freshman point guard missed the jumper as time expired.

Winthrop returns to action next Wednesday when it hosts Gardner-Webb at 7:00pm.  Presbyterian visits League-leading VMI Monday night.

VMI 103, COASTAL CAROLINA 102
Behind career-high point outputs from Chavis Holmes (35 pts.) and Austin Kenon (29 pts.), VMI survived a desperate rally and held on for a thrilling 103-102 win over the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers in a Big South contest Saturday afternoon at Cameron Hall.  With the Keydets up by three and the seconds ticking away, Coastal Carolina’s Mario Sisinni dribbled the ball up the court and found teammate Steven Sexton on the right wing, just beyond the three-point line.

Sexton was met by a pair of VMI defenders, but thanks to a head fake, was able to get off the heave as time expired.  The shot banked in, and a Chanticleer celebration ensued, as the visitors had seemingly tied the score.  However the officials ruled Sexton’s shot to be a two-pointer, as the toe of his right foot was on the edge of the three-point line.  After checking the replay, that ruling was upheld, giving VMI the 103-102 triumph, and bringing a raucous cheer from the 2,875 fans in attendance.

With the triumph, VMI moves to 13-2 on the season, 5-0 in Big South play and 7-0 at home.  Coastal Carolina drops to 7-9 and 1-3 in Big South action.  The win is VMI’s ninth in a row, the Keydets’ first nine-game winning streak since 1978.  The victory also gives the Keydets 12 wins in their last 13 games.  That is VMI’s best winning streak since winning 13-of-14 during the 1977-78 season, and the fourth-longest winning streak in Keydet history.  The victory continues the squad’s best start since 1976-77, and its best opening stretch at home since 1995-96, as the team remains undefeated at Cameron Hall.

The early moments of Saturday’s game were played at a slow pace, and Coastal Carolina took advantage.  Center Jon Pack had four early points, helping the Chanticleers take an early 6-5 lead at the 17:55 mark.  The advantage was Coastal’s final lead of the game.  VMI answered back, however, as a Chavis Holmes three-pointer at 14:18 moved him into 12th on the all-time Big South scoring list.  The shot sparked a 10-2 VMI run over the next 2:49 to give the Keydets a 15-8 lead. During the run, four different players scored to help the homestanding squad take the seven-point advantage.  The Keydets continued their hot shooting over the next several minutes, and pushed their advantage to double digits for the first time at the 11:05 mark, thanks to a Keith Gabriel three-pointer.  Over the opening nine minutes, Gabriel had ten points and Chavis Holmes notched eight to help VMI to its quick start.

Coastal Carolina responded quickly, as the visitors were able to chop their deficit to one at the 6:52 mark.  Joseph Harris fueled the Chanticleers run with five points during those four-plus minutes.  VMI pushed its lead back out to six, and the Keydets’ lead was at four after a Harris jumper at the 3:42 mark.  The home team then showed its trademark explosiveness as it went on an 8-0 run over just 35 seconds, giving the Keydets a 12-point cushion with just over three minutes to play in the opening half.  Coastal Carolina cut the deficit back to eight at halftime, thanks to a mini-spurt of 6-1 to close the half. Harris led the visitors with 11 points and eight rebounds in the opening frame, while Chavis Holmes sparked VMI with 17 points in the initial 20 minutes.  Gabriel had 15 points and Kenon notched 13 first-half markers for the Keydets.

The opening moments of the second half were marked by a 6-0 VMI run beginning at the 17:56 mark.  The spurt gave the Keydets a 12-point advantage, but Coastal fought back.  The home team’s advantage was reduced to just two, 69-67, on a Harris layup at 14:02.  The contest was back-and-forth for the next several minutes, with the Keydets holding a slight lead. The cushion was no greater than eight until a free throw by Gabriel gave VMI a 97-88 lead with 5:12 left to play.  After an exchange of baskets, the lead was eight with 3:20 to play, as Chavis Holmes hit a pair of free throws.  From there, the Chanticleers had one final run for VMI, as the visitors chipped the eight-point advantage down to a single point with 46 seconds to play, thanks to a layup by Harris.  Coastal Carolina quickly fouled Chavis Holmes on the inbound pass, and he nailed the ensuing free throws to put VMI up three and set the stage for the final, dramatic moments.

Saturday’s effort marks the second-straight game in which Kenon has posted a career-high, as he hit for 26 points Monday against Charleston Southern.  All told, the Keydets hit 17 treys on the day as they scored over 100 points for the first time since Dec. 13.  Gabriel had 19 points to aid in the winning effort, while fellow freshman Ron Burks grabbed eight rebounds.  Harris led Coastal Carolina with his very impressive afternoon, as the redshirt junior tallied 30 points, 16 rebounds and six assists in the loss.  Sisinni had 20 points and nine assists for the Chanticleers as well, and the Chanticleers went down to defeat despite 58 points in the paint.  VMI’s win is its third-consecutive triumph over Coastal Carolina, after the Chanticleers had captured seven of the first eight meetings between the clubs.  The Keydets’ Travis Holmes did not see action due to a sore knee, and he continues to be listed as day-to-day.

The Keydets return to action Monday, as they continue their three-game homestand by hosting the Presbyterian College Blue Hose. Game time at Cameron Hall is set for 7:00pm.  Coastal Carolina visits Liberty on Monday night. 

GARDNER-WEBB 60, HIGH POINT 57
Grayson Flittner's three-pointer from the right corner with 27.2 seconds put Gardner-Webb ahead for good and his free throw with 2.8 seconds left sealed a 60-57 comeback win for the Runnin' Bulldogs at High Point.  It was a tale of two halves for Gardner-Webb (6-9, 2-3 Big South), which can thank its coaching staff for several key halftime adjustments that led to a rousing comeback in the final stanza. GWU struggled mightily against an active 2-3 zone in the first half, and fell victim to a 13-0 High Point run to close the half and trailed 28-18 at the break (22.7 percent shooting).
 
GWU adjust on both ends to push tempo into a more comfortable fast pace out of the break, and Flittner netted eight points in a quick 11-2 run that pulled the 'Dogs within one point, 30-29, on an Aaron Linn trey.  The 'Dogs hung around and went inside to Auryn MacMillan on consecutive plays moments later - with his layup and old fashioned three-point play giving Gardner-Webb a 37-36 edge at the 13:13 mark.  The lead would grow to seven points, as Nate Blank drained a three and MacMillan added two free throws to cap a 12-0 GWU run. 

High Point rookie David Singleton and junior Eugene Harris led a counter attack by High Point (5-10, 1-4 Big South), combining on a 13-3 run that gave the Panthers a 48-44 edge with 8:21 left. GWU tied the score, 50-50, on a Nate Blank trey from the deep corner less than a minute later, and the game remained tied at 54 with 2:33 to play.  Singleton drove the lane and was fouled with 2:08 on the clock and hit the first of two charity shots to put the Panthers up 55-54. The second free throw clanged long and, after two offensive caroms, Cruz Daniels tipped the miss in for a 57-54 High Point lead with 1:32 left.  Blank found himself open at the free throw line for a 15-footer with 1:10 left, as High Point covered up any chance of a three-point attempt, and Gardner-Webb would have to test its defensive muscle to have a chance at victory.  Singleton ran down the shot clock and tried to make a play off the dribble, but Blank stepped in for a strip and raced frontcourt.
 
Blank's layup attempt was swatted away by Daniels, but Gardner-Webb would have a chance to draw up a play with 29 ticks on the clock.  Flittner worked free off a nice screen in the right corner, and drained the shot from three-point land to put the pressure back on High Point.  The Panthers had a chance to tie, as Singleton drove and hit classmate Steadman Short under the basket. Short was fouled by Blank with 5.8 seconds left after an attempted steal, but missed both free throws.  Flittner rebounded and hit the second of his two free shots for the final margin.
 
Flittner and Linn each scored a game-high 20 points to account for 67 percent of the team's scoring. The duo had 16 of the team's 18 points by halftime. Flittner was especially sharp, hitting 7-of-11 shots, dishing off five assists and making 5-of-8 from deep (no turnovers).  GWU shot a sizzling 62.5 percent (15-of-24) in the second half and made 7-of-10 treys after intermission. Blank had 10 points off the bench before fouling out in the final 10 seconds.  GWU was 11-of-25 from long range (44.0 percent), which helped overcome a tough 5-for-12 night at the free throw line and a 40-26 rebounding deficit.  Singleton led High Point with 18 points. Daniels added 15 points, 11 rebounds and six blocked shots, and Harris scored 13. High Point shot 43.1 percent for the game, but finished just 5-of-18 from long range (27.8 percent).  

Gardner-Webb will play another tough defensive squad on Wednesday, January 14, traveling to face defending champion Winthrop at 7 pm ET in Rock Hill, S.C.  High Point travels to UNC Asheville Tuesday.

LIBERTY 79, CHARLESTON SOUTHERN 60
Four players scored in double figures, led by Seth Curry and his 27 points, as the Liberty Flames (11-6, 2-3 BSC) defeated the Charleston Southern Buccaneers (5-9, 1-3 BSC) on Saturday night, 79-60, inside the Vines Center.  The victory snapped Liberty’s two-game losing streak.  Kelvin Martin tallied a bucket at 18:09 to mark the contest’s first scoring, but the two-pointer was promptly followed by eight straight Liberty points to give the Flames the lead.  Brolin Floyd tallied a bucket, followed by two three-point buckets by Curry, his second capping the streak at 16:31, giving the Flames an 8-2 lead.

The Flames and Buccaneers traded buckets, which was then followed by six straight Charleston Southern points, tying the score at 12-12. A Giedrius Knysas bucket capped the run at 13:09.  Four straight free throws by Floyd, followed by a Tyler Baker and Curry bucket was part of eight straight Liberty points, starting a 10-2 run. A Baker bucket at 8:05 capped the spurt, giving the Flames the lead for the remainder of the first half, 22-14.  A Jamarco Warren bucket at 4:48 brought Charleston Southern to within five points, 29-24, via a 10-5 jaunt.  Two Curry free throws and an Anthony Smith dunk at 3:52 extended the Flames’ lead up to nine points, 33-24.  Charleston Southern then scored five straight points to cut the Liberty lead down to four points, 33-29.  A Giedrius Knysas bucket at 1:22 ended the scoring spurt. Curry would add a field goal at 1:00 to finish the first half scoring, sending Liberty into the intermission with a six point lead, 35-29.

Liberty connected on 46.2 percent (12-of-26) from the floor during the opening 20 minutes of action, including 30 percent (3-of-10) from three-point land.  Charleston Southern was successful on 43.3 percent (13-of-30) from the floor, but the Bucs were only able to hit on 2-of-13 attempts from behind the arc (15.4 percent).  Warren scored seven straight points and Knysas tallied two markers in the paint to help Charleston Southern score nine unanswered points to open the second half, storming to a four point lead, 39-35, the Buccaneers’ first since opening two minutes of the game.  Three Kelvin Martin blocks on attempted lay-ups by the Flames kept Liberty from finding the scoreboard during the first three minutes of the second half and open up what would be Charleston Southern’s largest lead of the game.

Smith hit a trey and then connected on a free throw for an old-fashioned three-point play at 16:24 to give Liberty the lead back at 41-39. Johnny Stephene tallied a lay-up at 16:01, capping eight straight Liberty points, giving the Flames’ a four point lead, 43-39.  Two Omar Carter buckets cut the Liberty advantage to two points, 45-43, his second coming at 14:48. Carter completed the three-point play with a free throw at 13:45, giving Charleston Southern a one point lead, 48-47, finishing off a 5-2 spurt.  Charleston Southern’s last advantage of the game didn’t last too long, one Liberty possession to be exact, as a Curry bucket in the lane regained the lead for the Flames, 49-48, with 13:27 left to play. Curry’s two-pointer jumped started a 32-12 Liberty run to close the game.

Liberty finished the game connecting on 48.4 percent (30-of-62) from the floor, including 29.6 percent (8-of-27) from three-point land.  Pacing the Flames with 27 points was Curry, his highest total this season inside the Vines Center. Curry connected on 11-of-18 from the floor, including 3-of-9 from three-point land. Smith added 13 points and six rebounds, while Floyd and Ohman finished with 12 and 11 points respectively. Sanders was the only starter not in double figures (six points), but finished tied for a team-high six rebounds.  Charleston Southern finished the contest hitting 40.7 percent (24-of-59) of its shot attempts from the field, but continued to struggle from long range as they hit only 17.4 percent (4-of-23) from beyond the arc.  Warren led the Buccaneers with 24 points on 8-of-17 shooting, while Carter and Knysas added 11 and 10 points, respectively, in the losing cause.

Liberty returns to action on Monday night when the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers invade the Vines Center.  Tip-off is set for 7:00pm, and the game will be broadcast on the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN).  Charleston Southern will travel to take on the Radford Highlanders on Monday night. Tip-off is set for 7:00pm.