BREVARD, N.C. – The Brevard College men's basketball team (5-15, 4-9 USAS) fell 89-77 to USA South Conference foe William Peace (8-11, 6-9 USAS) on Saturday afternoon at the Boshamer Gymnasium.
Senior Levi Lamb led the Tornados with 24 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the field while going 5-of-6 from beyond the arc. It marked the fifth time this season that the Atlanta, Georgia native has scored 20 or more points in a contest.
Senior Demari Hopper produced a 19-point output as part of a strong overall game that included game-highs in assists (five) and steals (five) as well as five rebounds. Sophomore Joshua Wilson led the Tornados on the boards with six rebounds.
William Peace was led by Trey Bryant who scored 28 points on 10-of-11 shooting including a perfect 3-of-3 from the three-point line. Also scoring in double figures for the Pacers were starters John Burwell, Camden Ferguson, and Tyson Sellers, each of whom scored 14 points.
The game was tightly contested throughout the first half with both teams shooting well from the field. BC shot 56% in the opening half, while WPU shot 54%. Lamb led the Tornados individually with 11 of his 24 points, while Bryant scored 17 of his 28 points to lead the Pacers. William Peace took a 41-36 lead into intermission following a layup by BC's Hayden Cassell off an assist by Wilson in the final minute of the half.
The Tornados battled back in the opening minutes of the second half as Lamb hit a three-pointer to cut the deficit to 52-50 with 13:23 remaining. William Peace, however, reeled off a blistering 24-8 run over the next six minutes to put the Pacers up by their largest lead, 76-58, with seven minutes to play. The Tornados would chip away at WPU's lead, however, they were unable to cut the deficit to single digits for the remainder of the contest.
Both teams shot effectively for the game with Brevard (57% to 54%) holding a slight advantage over the Pacers. WPU would make 11 three-pointers compared to eight by the Tornados. William Peace capitalized on 23 BC turnovers for 24 points, while also scoring nine more points at the free-throw line.
The game took place on the afternoon of the Brevard's sixth annual "Red Out" game in memory and support of The Jimmy Griffin Foundation and the American Heart Association.
Students, fans, faculty, and staff wore color red to "Red Out" the Boshamer Gymnasium on Saturday to honor the legacy of Jimmy Griffin.
Griffin played under current Brevard Head Coach Lee Burgess during his time as an Assistant Coach at Samford University. Griffin passed away in his sleep in September of 2009 from an undetected heart condition. His death shocked the Samford community and left a lasting impact on Coach Burgess.
In 2010, Burgess took part in the first "Red Out" game at Samford, as the Bulldogs hosted Elon. Samford raised $2,200 for the American Heart Association and played in front of the second-largest crowd in program history.
The Griffin Family is determined that Jimmy's life and legacy will never be forgotten. Therefore, they have set up The Jimmy Griffin Legacy Foundation, which has benefited and will continue to benefit places Jimmy loved including St. Bede Church and School, Marist High School, Mother McAuley High School, and Samford University. The foundation also benefits the American Heart Association.
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