BREVARD, N.C. – The Brevard College men's basketball team (7-13, 4-5 USAS) improved its playoff positioning as the Tornados earned a 97-80 victory over Huntingdon College (6-13, 0-8 USAS) in a Friday afternoon matinee at the Boshamer Gymnasium.
LB Boyette led all Tornados with 17 points, including a 3-for-9 mark on 3-point buckets. BC's bench play proved pivotal, as three Tornados – Chancey Watson (16 points), Alex Wesig (16 points), and Garrett Sutherland (12 points) all posted double-digit scoring totals as part of a season-high 59-point bench scoring mark for Brevard.
Quincy Carter hauled down a team-high eight rebounds and dished out a career-high seven assists, while Wesig brought in five boards and dished out four assists. Charles Reed added nine points, while Hayden Cassell totaled eight on 4-of-6 shooting.
The visiting Hawks were led by big bench efforts from Damien Madison and Caleb Toney, who totaled 25 and 23 points each, respectively.
Both sides shot the ball above a 40% clip from the field, while Huntingdon made one more 3-pointer than the Tornados (10-9). Brevard hit its free throws at an 18-for-22 mark and dominated the glass, 48-33, while distributing 25 assists to Huntingdon's 15. BC scored 20 second-chance points and had 46 points in the paint.
The lead changed hands just one time, as a 1-0 HC lead evaporated quickly with a 10-2 BC run early in the contest. The game remained within single digits until Brevard put together an impressive 18-3 scoring stretch that gave the Tornados a 17-point lead, 28-11, with 9:08 left in the half. A late Huntingdon run cut the deficit to single digits briefly, but a pair of Boyette free throws at the end of the half made it a 10-point affair, 46-36.
Watson led the scoring for BC at the intermission with nine points, while Wesig totaled eight points. Carson Evans and Sutherland each had seven, and Carter had already hauled in eight boards.
The Tornados started the second half by outscoring the Hawks 13-5 to extend the lead to an 18-point margin, 59-41. Huntingdon was able to answer right back with a game-high 13-0 run of its own, cutting the Tornado lead down to just five points with 12:42 left to play.
BC got the lead back up to a double-digit margin, 72-59, with 7:37 left to play after a Watson jumper. BC kept the Hawks at bay for the remainder of the contest, opening up as much as a 20-point lead before eventually prevailing, 97-80.
The Tornados will host Jameson's Joy Day on Saturday at 4 p.m. against Covenant College in a USA South Conference battle at The Bosh, as part of a doubleheader with the BC women's team beginning at 2 p.m.
To follow the latest news and updates surrounding Brevard College Athletics, follow the Tornados on Twitter/Instagram @BCTornados, subscribe to 'Brevard College Tornados' on YouTube and SoundCloud, and follow 'Brevard College Tornado Athletics' on Facebook. In addition, follow 'brevardcollege' on Flickr for photos from BC events.
-BC-
