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2007-08 Men's Basketball Team Notes - March 2
| Armstrong Atlantic State (17-10, 11-9) -- The
Armstrong Atlantic State men’s basketball team comes into the
Peach Belt Conference tournament as the No. 5 seed ... The Pirates
have put together one of the more impressive streaks in Peach Belt
Conference tournament lore, as AASU has won 13 consecutive opening
games in the league tournament, dating back to 1993 ... Senior
guard Corey Johnson has come on strong at the end of the season for
the Pirates. The transfer from Arkansas - Little Rock has led the
Pirates in scoring over the last seven games, averaging 19.2 ppg in
that stretch, and Johnson leads the Pirates and ranks 16th in the
league in scoring at 12.7 points per game ... Senior Jamaal
Galloway, AASU’s all-time leader in three point baskets (272)
is averaging 12.0 points per game and is second all-time in Peach
Belt history in three-pointers made ... Senior William Kane has
enjoyed a breakout season at point guard, dishing out a PBC-high
198 assists (7.33 per game) and ranking third in NCAA Division II
in that category. He is only one of two players in AASU history to
record 100+ assists in three seasons ... The Pirates have advanced
to the Peach Belt Conference tournament championship game four
times in program history but are still looking for their first
elusive title.
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| Augusta State (22-5, 17-3) -- Augusta
State enters the 2008 Peach Belt Conference Tournament as the No. 2
seed after finishing the regular season 17-3 in league play and
22-5 overall … The Jaguars are making their 17th appearance
in the Peach Belt Conference Tournament ... ASU is 17-14 all-time
in PBC Tourney play ... The Jags fell to Clayton State 72-69 in the
semifinals of the 2007 tourney in Greenwood, S.C., at Finis Horne
Arena ... ASU is 3-3 under fourth-year head coach Dip Metress in
the PBC Tournament … ASU has won two PBC Tournament titles,
winning back-to-back tournaments in 2001 and 2002 … The Jags
earned a bye in the first round and will face the winner of Clayton
State-UNC Pembroke’s first-round matchup on Friday, March 7
at 1:00 p.m. in the USCA Convocation Center in Aiken, S.C. …
The Jags are 9-6 all-time in the quarterfinal round of the tourney,
including last season’s 91-82 victory over Georgia College
& State … The Jaguars closed out the regular season with
a 1-1 record last week … Columbus State snapped ASU’s
eight-game winning streak and eight-game road winning streak in one
fell swoop with a 91-83 victory over on Wednesday, Feb. 27 in
Columbus … ASU then closed out the regular season
successfully, battling back from a halftime deficit for a 65-58
Senior Day win over Georgia Southwestern … ASU got a
career-high 20 points from Steve Smith and scored a season-high 57
points in the second half in a 90-85 come-from-behind win over
North Georgia on Saturday, Feb. 23 … With their 75-59
victory over No. 7 USC Aiken on Monday, Jan. 21, the Jags improved
to 3-0 this season and 10-3 in the last four seasons under head
coach Dip Metress against nationally-ranked teams …
ASU’s 72-49 victory at UNC Pembroke on Wednesday, Jan. 9
earned Metress the 200th win of his 12-year coaching career
… With 28 points at Columbus State on Wednesday, Feb. 27,
Bowman moved into third place on the ASU career scoring list with
1,655 points and moved into fourth place on the Peach Belt
Conference career scoring list, surpassing former Jaguar standout
Gary Boodnikoff (1,653 career points) … With nine points vs.
Georgia Southwestern, Bowman moved within eight of Rosendo Bryden
(UNCP Pembroke, 1,672 points from 1992-96) for third place on the
league’s career scoring list.
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| Clayton State (13-14, 9-11) -- The
Clayton State Lakers finished the week on a down note, dropping
road contests at USC-Aiken (65-56) and at Francis Marion (67-64).
The defeats placed Clayton State in the play-in games for the Peach
Belt Conference Tournament… Clayton State had a six-point
lead against nationally-ranked USC-Aiken, but the Pacers out-scored
Clayton State 19-9 down the stretch to win. Bernard Fields, making
his first ever start for the Lakers, scored 14 points, followed by
Armel Traore Dit Nignan with 11 points… Clayton State held a
17-point lead with 16 minutes remaining against Francis Marion, but
the Patriots hit seven 3-point baskets in that final 16 minutes to
rally for the victory. Again, Fields paced Clayton State with 15
points, followed by Michael Sloan with 13 points… Sloan set
his fourth career record on Saturday against Francis Marion. His
four steals give him 170 for his career, a new Laker all-time
record… Sloan is fifth all-time at Clayton State in scoring
with 1,179 points entering the Peach Belt Conference
Tournament… Clayton State leads the Peach Belt Conference in
both scoring defense and field goal percentage defense, and the
Lakers are also ranked seventh in the nation in field goal
percentage defense and 25th in scoring defense.
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| Columbus State (13-17, 9-11) -- Columbus
State wrapped up one of its most frustrating seasons in recent
memory on Saturday, losing another nail-biter at UNC Pembroke by a
71-69 count. For the third time in five games, CSU had the ball
with a chance to win the game in the final seconds and got the ball
to leading scorer Corris Portis for the game-winning attempt.
Unfortunately the result was the same as the others as a shot from
Portis was just off the mark. In all, CSU lost nine games by five
points or less this season and were soundly defeated only six times
during the year. First-year head coach Doug Branson (actually in
his second season after serving as interim in 2006-07) has had his
share of frustration this season, but has still managed to put a
team on the floor that remains competitive with most anyone - as
evidenced in the Cougars’ 91-83 defeat of #8 Augusta State
last week. Portis leads the team with a 13.2 points per game
average and has moved himself into the all-time top five in scoring
in scho ol history this season. Portis now has 1,224 points in his
four-year career and is fifth all-time at CSU. Portis has 63 made
three-pointers this season. Another senior, Quay Holloway, is
comfortable in his role of coming off the bench to energize the CSU
offense. He also has 63 made three-pointers this season and is
second on the team at 10 points per game. Senior point-guard Travis
Matthews has 117 assists on the year and averages just under 10
points per game. CSU opens play against GCSU on Friday in the PBC
Tournament, a team which the Cougars split with in the regular
season. CSU won 80-78 at home on January 30 and then fell 99-94 in
Milledgeville on February 18.
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| Francis Marion (10-15, 4-14) -- FMU
posted an unbelievable 2-0 week to finish the season with four wins
in its last six contests. Both FMU wins last week, at AASU and vs
Clayton State, came after the Patriots trailed by 17 points in the
second half.…..The team’s 12 wins surpasses last
year’s total of 9…..FMU shot 17-of-42 last week from
long range (40.5%).….Junior guard Houston Power averaged
11.5 points per game last week and made 6-of-10 three-point
attempts. Power leads FMU in scoring for the season at 11.2 ppg and
with 3.0 assists per game, while junior Sam Smith adds 10.2 ppg and
a team-high 4.3 rpg…..Twelve times this season, FMU has made
single digit free throws in a game…..The win at AASU snapped
a 21-game losing skid in games played in the state of
Georgia….11 different Patriots have scored in double figures
at least once this season.....FMU is 12-6 this season when shooting
40% or higher from the field….The Patriots have outrebounded
107 of their last 168 opponents. Only 52 of FMU’s last 167
opponents have shot above 46 percent from the floor..….FMU
won at UNCP 77-67 on Jan. 16 for the program’s 500th all-time
victory..….Gary Edwards captured his 400th win on Nov. 17
with a 69-66 win over Coker. His career coaching mark is 410-290 in
24 seasons…..FMU plays Lander in the first round of the PBC
Tournament. The two squads split games during the 2007-08 season
with Lander winning 76-57 in Greenwood on Jan 30 and FMU prevailing
60-55 in Florence on Feb. 18. Francis Marion has played the
Bearcats more than any other opponent in history, with Lander
holding a 43-35 series advantage. However, FMU has never met Lander
in PBC Tournament play.……FMU is 4-14 all-time in the
PBC Tournament, including seven straight losses dating back to
1999.
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| Georgia College & State University (19-8,
13-7) -- The Bobcats won five of their last six to finish
the regular season, the only loss being a 72-67 defeat to No. 5 USC
Aiken … GCSU has won two PBC Tournament Championships, in
1998-99 and 1996-97 … The Bobcats are 18-15 in postseason
history under head coach Terry Sellers … The Bobcats went
1-1 at last year’s PBC Tournament, beating UNC Pembroke 68-53
and then falling to Augusta State 91-82 … GCSU draws
Columbus State in its opening game of this year’s tourney;
with the team’s splitting this year’s season series,
the all-time ledger is 39-16 in CSU’s favor … The
Bobcats set a school-record with 38 assists in the win over Carver
Bible Nov. 26 … Senior All-PBC candidate Aaron Clark is the
only player in GCSU history to rank in the career top-10 in the big
five statistical categories: points at fourth (1,432), rebounds at
second (824) blocks in second (124), steals in ninth (116) and
assists in eighth (225) … Junior guard Shaun Keaton ends the
regular season as the team’s top scorer at 16.5 points per
game, ranking sixth in the league; backcourt mate Graham Martin
stands 10th at 14.4 per game.
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| Georgia Southwestern (8-19, 5-15) --
Notes not submitted.
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| Lander (9-18, 6-14) -- The Lander
Bearcats were not one of the favorites to win the PBC tournament
when they hosted last year in Horne Arena. But, as we all know,
anything can happen. With the home court advantage, the Bearcats
took it one game at a time then held the championship trophy high
after consecutive wins against Columbus State (83-81), Armstrong
Atlantic (60-56), and Clayton State (75-61). The following week in
the NCAA Division II tournament, Lander went toe-to-toe with No. 11
Virginia Union before falling in overtime, 74-68. Bearcat head
coach Bruce Evans is painting the same scenario for the Bearcats
this week. It’s a whole new season and any team can win.
Lander is ready to put a stop to its season-ending, seven-game
losing streak, it’s longest of the season. The Bearcats are
led by senior guard Zach Evans, who is averaging 13.2 points per
game, while shooting 40.8 percent from the field and 38.1 percent
from the three-point line. Evans was named to the PBC
all-tournament team last year after averaging 10.1 points per game,
including 16 in the championship win over Clayton State. Junior
Houston Wright, a newcomer to Lander’s roster this year, is
averaging 12.5 points per game, while shooting 42.9 percent from
the field and 40.8 percent from the three-point line. Junior
Brenton Harris is the Bearcats top rebounder with 6.7 per game.
Harris is also averaging 5.7 points per game. Meanwhile, senior
Scottie Smith is averaging 7.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.
Lander, a charter member of the Peach Belt Conference, also won PBC
tournament championships in 1993 and 1994 and advanced to the 1999
Elite Eight in Louisville, Ky.
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| UNC Pembroke (8-19, 3-17) -- UNCP went
1-1 on the week with a loss to Georgia College & State and a
victory over Columbus State to move 8-19 overall on the year and
3-17 in Peach Belt Conference play. UNCP’s victory over
Columbus State was the first since the 1998-99 season when the
Braves defeated the Cougars, 63-62, in overtime at home. The win
over CSU marks the most wins in a season for the Braves since the
2001-02 season when Pembroke went 12-15. It is also the most wins
in a season in Tinsley’s four seasons as head coach of the
Braves. UNCP went 3-53 in the two seasons prior to Tinsley becoming
the head coach of the Black & Gold. The Braves are led on
offense by senior forward Jonathan Hart who is averaging 13.7
points per game. Hart is the only Braves to have started every game
this season for the Braves. Senior Jarrell Hunter, who leads the
PBC in minutes played with a 35.9 average, leads the team in
rebounding with 158 on the season. He is second in the PBC in
defensive rebounds with 127. The Braves as a team lead the PBC in
free throw percentage with a mark of .733. UNCP also leads the PBC
in rebounding defense. Pembroke finished the season going 7-8 at
home, 1-11 on the road, and 5-2 in non-conference games.
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| North Georgia (17-10, 12-8) -- North
Georgia College & State University watched a Bearcat jumper
fall short at the buzzer to hold on and down Lander University
61-59 in the Peach Belt Conference regular season finale. With the
game on the line, Xavier Trice was fouled with 8.2 seconds left and
hit the first of two free throws for a 61-59 lead. Lander drove
inside and took a jumper from the left side of the basket in the
final seconds that bounced off the rim, giving North Georgia the
two-point road win. Trice led North Georgia with 17 points, while
Nick Pope scored 16, and Anthony Rowe added 12. With the win, the
Saints locked up the #4 seed in their first ever Peach Belt
Conference Tournament. North Georgia recorded 12 wins in the PBC
this season, its largest win total in conference play since
entering the NCAA in 2005-06. The Saints were led by Andre Morgan
who finished with 15.7 points per game, which put him 8th in the
Peach Belt Conference. Nick Pope found himself 11th in the
conference in scoring at 14.1 points per game, and Xavier Trice
finished 15th at 12.9 points per game. The Saints enters the
tournament as one of the hottest teams in the conference, winning
five of their last six, including road wins over Clayton State and
Lander. North Georgia has also played the top two teams in the
conference as close as anyone, edging out Augusta State on their
home floor by four points, and losing the remaining three games to
the top two seeds by a combined 15 points.
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| USC Aiken (25-2, 19-1) -- On the heels
of their first Peach Belt Conference regular season championship
since 1992-93 and second all-time, USC Aiken will play the host
role of the 2008 PBC Tournament as the top seed…The 2007-08
squad is in the process of rewriting the program’s record
book…The Pacers have broken the school records for wins in a
season (25), home wins (13), consecutive wins (12), consecutive
home wins (13), consecutive road wins (5), PBC wins (19), and
consecutive PBC wins (12)… Predicted to finish sixth in the
conference after six-straight losing season, head coach Vince
Alexander’s squad ran through the Peach Belt schedule with
relative ease…The squad jumpstarted the run with a road win
at Clayton State and an upset win over then fifth-ranked Augusta
State…With just a lone hiccup in the return trip to Augusta
State, USCA rattled off 12-straight PBC wins to claim the
title…How remarkable is the turnaround? In Alexander’s
first two seasons, USCA won 15 games overall and seven league
contests. In 2007-08, the Pacers have 25 wins with 19 coming in
conference play…In the previous five seasons dating back to
the 2002-03 season, the program won 17 PBC games…PBC Player
of the Year candidate Chris Commons has led the way for USC Aiken,
averaging a league-best 22.1 points per contest…The
6’8” junior has won PBC Player of the Year honors a
record four times this season…He has scored 30-plus points 5
times, 20-plus points 18 times, and been in double figures in all
but four games…However, the Pacers are far from a one-man
team…Jeremy Fears (16.7), Kingsley Oguchi (10.8), and
Cordaryl Ballard (10.3) all average in double figures…Fears
is also leading the league in steals while dishing out four assists
per contest…Oguchi has knocked down 69 threes, connecting on
over 41.1 percent from long range…As a team, fifth-ranked
USCA comes into the tourney winners of 12-straight games and one of
the hottest teams in the country…Head coach Vince
Alexander’s team is 13-0 in the USCA Convocation Center,
their brand-new arena and the site of the PBC Tournament.
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