BREVARD, N.C. - Levi Lamb scored 23 points and grabbed eight rebounds, but the Brevard College men's basketball team (0-2) fell victim to a hot-shooting Pensacola Christian College (2-6) side, 87-72, in a Friday evening contest at the Boshamer Gymnasium.
BC's Lamb was joined in double figures by Demari Hopper (14 points) and Hayden Cassell (10 points). Cassell, who made his first career start as a Tornado, went 3-of-6 from the field and was a perfect 3-for-3 at the free-throw line.
Brevard's bench was led by Cannon Lamb, who posted nine points on 4-of-10 shooting. BC's Luke Bleynat, Matthew Duggar, and David Sealy all made their Tornado debuts in the contest.
Defensively, the Tornados were led by Levi Lamb, who tallied three steals, while Qadhafi Turner added two steals.
Pensacola Christian, who was led by a 27-point performance from Eric Evans and a double-double effort from John Clay (15 points, 10 assists, six rebounds), shot 54% from the field. That mark included a 14-of-28 effort from beyond the arc (50%) that helped propel the Eagles towards victory.
Evans helped lead the way with five 3-pointers, while Clay and Austin Lewis each nailed three shots from long range.
The story of the night proved to be shooting behind the 3-point line, as Pensacola Christian's 50% clip dwarfed Brevard's 23% mark.
Despite the 3-point shooting discrepancy, both sides were fairly even in numerous categories in the contest. However, the Eagles held a commanding 45-7 advantage in bench points.
The first half saw both sides battle back-and-forth in a closely-fought period of action. Brevard took an early lead and maintained it for a majority of the half. The Eagles battled back, tying the contest, 33-33 following a pair of free throws before an Evans 3-pointer gave PCC the lead, 36-33. Pensacola Christian held a 38-35 advantage at the halftime intermission.
Both sides kept the game close through the early onset of the second half. Brevard matched the hot-shooting Eagles step-for-step through the early minutes, retaking the lead, 58-57, following a Hopper-made layup.
After Levi Lamb's bucket made the score 60-57 in favor of the Tornados, PCC's Lewis knotted the contest up with a 3-pointer. From there, the Eagles mounted a pivotal 13-2 scoring run that helped put themselves in a position to close out the victory.
PCC led by as many as 18 points before sealing its 87-72 victory over the Tornados.
Brevard now turns its attention to an exhibition contest at NCAA DI UNC-Asheville on Saturday, November 16. Game time is slated for 6 p.m. at the Kimmel Arena in nearby Asheville, North Carolina.
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