Men's Basketball Weekly Round Up - Dec. 6th

Queens (7-0, 2-0 SAC) – The 2nd ranked Royals also improved to 7-0 on the season, with wins over Catawba and Tusculum.  Mike Davis filled up the stat sheet in both games, averaging 13 points, five rebounds, two assists, and three steals.  Tusculum managed to stay with Queens until midway through the second half, but the Royals' defense and rebounding proved the difference down the stretch. Todd Withers turned in the best performance of the week for the Royals, notching a double-double with 23 points and 11 rebounds, three blocks, and three steals against Tusculum. 
Upcoming: @Anderson

Wingate (4-5, 2-0 SAC) – The Bulldogs entered conference play at just 2-5, but beat both Newberry and Mars Hill to begin their conference slate unbeaten and improve to 4-5 overall on the season. Wingate used a 20-0 second-half spurt to propel them past Newberry on Wednesday.  Zeriq Lolar led the way with 26 points, including 7-14 from behind the three-point line. The Bulldogs followed that up with a convincing 74-52 victory over Mars Hill that featured 12 Wingate blocks. 
Upcoming: No games this week

Coker – (4-5, 1-0 SAC) - The Cobras went 2-1 on the week, with wins over Lenoir-Rhyne and Southern Wesleyan, and a loss to Limestone.  Their full-court pressure defense has helped them cause turnovers against teams that struggle to care of the ball.  Southern Wesleyan committed 25 turnovers against Coker, giving them a seemingly unending stream of fast breaks with their quick, athletic roster.  Donte Samuels was the star of the offense, averaging 17.0 points per game over the three games.  His best game came in the loss to Limestone where he scored 19 points and added four rebounds. 
Upcoming: @Carson-Newman

Newberry (7-3, 2-1 SAC) – The Wolves went 2-1 last week, including a potentially season-defining victory over previously unbeaten, and 23rd-ranked Carson-Newman.  Prior to their victory over the Eagles, the combined records of six teams Newberry had beaten was just 12-24. They had lost three close games to quality opponents, including a 90-85 loss against Virginia State. The victory over Carson-Newman shows they can pull out a big win against elite competition.  James Stepp scored 19 points on the game, and made three clutch shots inside the final five minutes to give Newberry the win.  The Wolves followed that up with a record-breaking performance, beating Warren Wilson College 139-89.  Newberry scored 84 points in the second-half alone, hitting 51 out of 100 shots on the game.  
Upcoming: @Mars Hill

Carson-Newman (7-1, 1-1 SAC) – The 23rd ranked Eagles easily took care of Mars Hill before falling to Newberry at home on Saturday.  Josh Murray recorded a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds in just 18 minutes of action to lead Carson-Newman to victory over Mars Hill.  The Eagles struggled to take care of the ball against Newberry, turning the ball over 18 points, leading to 12 points.  
Upcoming: @Anderson, vs Coker

Lenoir-Rhyne (2-5, 1-2 SAC) – Junior guard, Cory Thomas continues to shine for the Bears, leading LR to a 1-1 split on the week.  Thomas averaged 21.5 points per game, including the Bears' road loss to Coker on Wednesday where he posted a career-high 24 points. Head Coach, Everick Sullivan continues to exploit the depth of his roster, with 11 players averaging at least nine minutes per game, and nobody averaging more than 28 mpg. Lenoir-Rhyne center, Bertrand Awana notched seven blocks between the two contests to maintain his top spot in the league with 3.0 blocks per game. 
Upcoming: vs Belmont Abbey

Anderson (2-6, 0-1 SAC) – The Trojans split their games this week, beating Southern Wesleyan for this second time this season and losing to Lenoir-Rhyne.  Anderson had a shot to beat LR on Saturday; they rallied to cut the lead to 70-68 with under two minutes to play, but failed to execute down the stretch as the Bears repeatedly knocked down their free throws. Randall Shaw continued his strong play, averaging 17.0 points and four rebounds per game during the week. 
Upcoming: vs Carson-Newman, vs Queens

Catawba (2-4, 0-2 SAC) – The scheduling gods weren't kind to the Indians. Catawba had to face two of the top four teams in the nation last week, both on the road, and had to play one of those games without leading scorer, Jerrin Morrison.   The result was two lopsided defeats, including a 103-58 drubbing by Lincoln Memorial. Malik Constantine led the way for the Indians, averaging 18.5 points per game over the week.  
Upcoming: vs Tusculum, vs St. Augustine's

Tusculum (2-6, 0-2 SAC) – The Pioneers suffered the same fate as Catawba, forced to face both #4 Lincoln Memorial and #2 Queens to start SAC play.  Tusuclum went 0-2 on the week, but were able to keep the scores respectable, losing by an average of just 16 points.  The Pioneers trailed just 49-47 with 11:03 to play against Queens, before the Royals ultimately pulled away. Queens had jumped out to a 31-12 lead to start the game before Tusculum used a 14-0 to close the gap to 31-26.  
Upcoming: vs Catawba

Mars Hill (2-6, 0-2 SAC) – The Lions dropped two games against SAC foes before picking up a victory over Warren Wilson College on Wednesday.  Charles Moore dropped in 19 points against Warren Wilson, and Justin Hartfield added 16 points and eight rebounds.  Six Lions finished the night in double figures. 
Upcoming: vs Newberry, @Lincoln Memorial

J. Scott Sewell is an intern from Coker College in Hartsville, SC.  He's currently majoring in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus in English, Communication, and Physical Education