BREVARD, N.C. - The Brevard College men's basketball team (5-14, 4-8 USAS) pulled away late to claim a 67-63 victory over Maryville College (4-13, 3-7 USAS) in a Tuesday evening doubleheader at the Boshamer Gymnasium.
Trailing 63-62 with 1:08 left to play, junior forward Cannon Lamb hit a 3-point jump shot at the top of the key to give the Tornados a 65-63 lead. On Maryville's last possession of the contest, senior guard Demari Hopper broke up a Maryville pass to seal BC's victory.
Tuesday evening's game was part of the "Black Out for Black Mamba" tribute in memory of NBA legend Kobe Bryant at the women's and men's basketball doubleheader at Brevard College. Bryant and the other victims of a tragic accident in California were remembered with a moment of silence before each game and by the BC Basketball community wearing the color black.
Senior guard Qadhafi Turner led the way for four Tornado double-digit scorers on the evening. The Wilmington, N.C. native scored a season-high 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting, including a 4-of-6 mark from long distance. Turner hauled down a team-high seven boards while racking up a game-best four steals.
Senior forward Levi Lamb added 13 points while Hopper scored 10 points, grabbed five rebounds, and swiped three steals. Noah Lea led all bench players with 10 points in just 11 minutes of action, while Hayden Cassell sparked the defense with three steals.
Maryville was led by Brice Martin who scored a game-best 22 points while coming off the bench. Kevin Chong totaled 17 points while Felix Uadiale rounded out MC's double-digit scorers with 12 points.
Through the game's first six minutes and 30 seconds, the Tornados put together a 17-4 scoring run that was capped off with an emphatic Levi Lamb dunk at the 13:30 mark to build a controlling early lead. However, the Scots were able to battle back, using a 10-0 scoring stretch of their own to tie the contest at 21 apiece with 8:42 left in the first half.
Both sides would tie four more times before the intermission, with the latest being a 33-33 deadlock with 1:06 left in the first stanza. BC used a Levi Lamb free throw followed by back-to-back Hopper field goals to take a five-point lead into the locker room.
Maryville came out determined early in the second half, tying the contest at 39-39 with 18:42 left to play. BC then retook the lead with a 7-0 scoring run to hold a 46-39 advantage.
Both sides battled tightly with the Tornados holding their lead in single-digits through the majority of the second half. BC extended its lead to its largest margin of the second half, a nine-point, 62-53 advantage with 5:49 left to play following a Turner layup. However, the Scots proved resilient, using a 10-0 scoring run over the next four-plus minutes to take its first lead of the second half, 63-62, with 1:28 left in regulation.
On Brevard's next possession, sophomore forward Joshua Wilson found Cannon Lamb at the top of the arc for the eventual game-winning 3-pointer that gave BC a 65-63 advantage with 1:08 left to play.
Brevard fouled Maryville with 49 seconds left to play, but a missed free throw on the front end of a one-and-one situation gave BC the ball back with control of its own destiny.
The Tornados committed a turnover, setting up the Scots with one final possession to either tie or take the lead. As the clock counted down inside of 10 seconds, Hopper jumped a passing lane to give Brevard the ball back with the lead as the Tornados looked to run out the remainder of the clock. With Maryville pressing to steal, Levi Lamb found Cannon Lamb streaking to the basket uncontested, and the Marion, North Carolina native put an exclamation point on the victory with a last-second layup to wrap up Brevard's 67-63 USA South Conference win.
Brevard shot at a 50.9% clip from the field to Maryville's 40.7% and made nine 3-pointers to the Scots' five. The Tornados held a 17-10 advantage in the assist category and scored a total of 16 fastbreak points.
The Tornados will be back at home this Saturday, February 1 as Head Coach Lee Burgess' team hosts William Peace University, with tip-off scheduled for 2 p.m.
Brevard College Men's Basketball will host its sixth-annual Red Out Game in conjunction with The Jimmy Griffin Foundation and the American Heart Association's Heart Health Awareness Month. The day is in memory and support of Jimmy Griffin's legacy, as Griffin played under current Coach Burgess during his time as the Samford University Assistant Men's Basketball Coach.
Students, fans, faculty, and staff are encouraged to wear the color red to "Red Out" the Boshamer Gymnasium on Saturday afternoon to honor the legacy of Jimmy Griffin.
To follow the latest news and updates surrounding Brevard College Athletics, follow the Tornados on Twitter and Instagram @bctornados, subscribe to 'Brevard College Tornados' on YouTube, follow 'Brevard College Tornados' on SoundCloud, or like 'Brevard College Athletics' on Facebook. In addition, follow "brevardcollege" on Flickr for the latest photos from all Brevard College events.
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