HICKORY, N.C. - Trailing by nine points at the half on the road against Lenoir-Rhyne, the prospects looked bleak for Brevard to pick up its first win of the season.
Darius Moose had other plans.

The preseason first team all-conference forward scored 11 of his 32 points over a 10-minute second-half span, orchestrating a remarkable turnaround as the Tornados (1-6, 1-3 SAC) earned their first win of the season with a thrilling 59-56 victory.

Brevard trailed 37-28 at the break and faced its largest deficit of the game on a layup by Jake Wilson a minute into the second stanza that put Lenoir-Rhyne (3-5, 1-3 SAC) ahead by 11 points. But a Trevon Shaw triple moments later keyed a 16-4 run that saw Moose knock down five of his six field goal attempts and gave Brevard a 44-43 advantage.

After allowing the Bears to shoot at a 56.0 percent clip through the first 20 minutes, Brevard's defense clamped down in the second half. Lenoir-Rhyne managed to shoot just 31.8 percent in the second stanza, including going 0-for-6 from three-point range after knocking down seven triples in the first half, as Brevard held a 31-19 edge in second-half scoring. The Bears were 2-of-11 from the field during Brevard's run, and went an eye-popping 9:52 without a successful field goal attempt.

Its defense allowed it to climb back into contention, but it was the Tornados' offense that delivered the victory. Three-point field goals by Moose and Jaylon Debardlabon erased a small Lenoir-Rhyne lead and tied the game for the fifth time with just over two minutes remaining. A quick basket by Stevie Williams followed another defensive stop, but the Bears tied the game for the final time at the free throw line.

Debardlabon, who finished as one of three Tornados in double figures with 10 points, put Brevard ahead on a layup with 59 seconds to play before one of Shaw's game-high three steals with 36 ticks remaining signaled the beginning of the end for Lenoir-Rhyne. Because the Bears had two fouls to give before Brevard entered the bonus, the Tornados were able to throw each inbounds pass into the backcourt and weren't forced to go to the free throw line until 21 seconds remained in the game. Shaw hit the front end of a one-and-one opportunity but missed the second, giving Lenoir-Rhyne the ball as the Bears trailed 57-54.

But on the Bears' ensuing possession, leading scorer Will Perry threw the ball away, and two consecutive free throws by Moose iced the win. A Lenoir-Rhyne layup as time expired was largely cosmetic, giving Brevard the victory by the final count of 59-56.

Perry most personified the defensive turnaround that Brevard enacted at the half. The junior guard scored 14 points in the first 20 minutes of play, but fell into the clutches of the Tornados' defense in the second half as he managed just four points on 1-of-5 shooting.

The Tornados were also extremely opportunistic in the contest. Brevard was able to parlay a 13-11 edge in turnovers into a 22-11 lead in points off turnovers, effectively neutralizing Lenoir-Rhyne's 16-4 advantage in bench scoring.

Moose came within a point of tying his career high in scoring, which was set in a 33-point effort against Tusculum on January 18. He also collected a game-high nine rebounds and dished out a pair of assists. Shaw tied Lenoir-Rhyne's Jake Wilson for the game high in assists, notching four helpers in addition to his 11 points, seven rebounds, and three steals.

Brevard will take the week off for final exams before playing three times in a five-day stretch. The Tornados next face Queens in a SAC contest in Charlotte on Saturday afternoon before rounding out their pre-Christmas schedule with a pair of nonconference matchups.

Featured image courtesy of Tommy Moss.