Hoops roundup: Western Carolina needs OT to edge UNC-Asheville

Published 12:00 am Sunday, November 29, 2020

Associated Press

ASHEVILLE — Matt Halvorsen scored 21 points as Western Carolina beat UNC-Asheville 83-81 in overtime on Saturday.

Xavier Cork had 16 points, including a tying putback at the buzzer to force overtime at 71-71, as well as three blocks for Western Carolina (2-1). Mason Faulkner added 15 points, seven assists and six rebounds. Travion McCray had 11 points.

Tajion Jones scored 24 points with six rebounds for the Bulldogs (0-2). Jamon Battle added 18 points and 10 rebounds. LJ Thorpe had 12 points and Trent Stephney 11. The Bulldogs were missing starters Devon Baker and Coty Jude for a second game with unspecified minor injuries.

UNC Asheville trailed by 20 early in the second half but fought into a 71-69 lead when LJ Thorpe sank two free throws with 27 seconds remaining in regulation.

Halvorsen missed a layup with five seconds remaining but Cork was there for the tying putback and Western Carolina edged away in OT.

UNC Asheville committed 20 turnovers that Western Carolina turned into 27 points.

Elon 76, High Point 75

ELON (AP) — Hunter McIntosh had 21 points, including the go-ahead free throws with 3 seconds left, as Elon narrowly beat High Point.

Jerald Gillens-Butler had 16 points for Elon (2-0). Federico Poser added 12 points.

John-Michael Wright had 20 points for the Panthers (0-2). Emmanuel Izunabor added 16 points.

Elon takes on Duke on the road next Sunday. High Point matches up against North Florida at home next Saturday.

Coastal Carolina 117, NC Wesleyan 68

CONWAY, S.C. (AP) — Deanthony Tipler had 28 points as Coastal Carolina rolled past North Carolina Wesleyan in its season opener. Essam Mostafa added 21 points for the Chanticleers, while Tyrik Dixon chipped in 20.

Tipler hit 11 of 14 shots, including 6 of 8 on 3-pointers. Dixon also had six assists.

DeShawn Thomas had 13 points for Coastal Carolina. Damon McDowell had 23 points for the Battling Bishops. Isaiah Lewis added 11 points.

UNC-Wilmington 73, Troy 50

ASHEVILLE (AP) — Jaylen Sims had a career-high 29 points for the Seahawks in the victory over Troy. Sims hit 6 of 8 3-pointers. He added nine rebounds.

Ty Gadsden had 18 points for UNC Wilmington (2-1). Mike Okauru added 12 points and seven rebounds.

Desmond Williams had 15 points for the Trojans (1-1). Zay Williams added nine rebounds. Kam Woods, the Trojans’ leading scorer coming into the contest at 20.0 points per game, scored eight points on 2-of-10 shooting.

UNC-Greensboro 77, UALR 70

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Isaiah Miller had 24 points and UNC Greensboro won its season opener on Friday night. Miller hit 10 of 13 shots and added five steals.

Hayden Koval had 14 points and seven blocks for UNC Greensboro (1-0). Kaleb Hunter added 10 points. Mohammed Abdulsalam had seven rebounds.

Nikola Maric had 21 points for the Trojans (1-1). Marko Lukic added 19 points. Markquis Nowell had 10 points and six assists.

Belmont 73, Queens University 61

WASHINGTON (AP) — Luke Smith posted 18 points as Belmont defeated Queens University of Charlotte.

JaCobi Wood had 15 points for Belmont (3-0). Nick Muszynski added 12 points and three blocks. Caleb Hollander had nine points and a career-high 13 rebounds and Grayson Murphy had 9 points and 11 rebounds.

Malcolm Stevenson had 19 points and eight rebounds for the Royals, the 10th-ranked Division II team. Kenny Dye added 13 points. Kelyn Pennie had 12 points.