BANNER ELK, N.C. - The Brevard College men's basketball team secured its second victory of the season in a nonconference tilt at Lees-McRae on Monday afternoon, using a hot shooting performance to hold off the hard-charging Bobcats by a score of 76-70.
Brevard had its best shooting performance of the season, knocking down 56.0 percent of its field goal attempts. The Tornados shot at a blistering 60.9 percent clip over the final 20 minutes on their way to scoring 40 second-half points.
Surprisingly, the Tornados began the game ice cold from the floor as the Tornados missed each of their first four and six of their first eight field goal attempts. But the Tornados reversed their fortunes as the half wore on, finishing 14-for-27 from the field for a 51.9 shooting percentage before their hot-shooting final 20 minutes.
The Tornados did not trail over the game's final 22 minutes, but Lees-McRae made several second-half runs. Alex Moe broke a 6-0 Bobcats run with a layup through three defenders in transition that stretched the Tornados' lead back to five points with 6:32 remaining. The Bobcats responded, scoring consecutive buckets on a layup and a rim-shaking slam dunk by Raul Tutton, trimming the lead to 60-59 with 5:31 to play.
But on Brevard's next possession, Darius Moose hit a stepback three as the shot clock expired to break the run and spark a 7-0 Brevard spurt that effectively put the game out of reach. The icing came with 49 seconds to play, as Jaylon Debardlabon knocked down a twisting reverse layup in traffic to put the Tornados ahead by seven points. Brevard connected on five free throws down the stretch to secure its 76-70 victory.
The Tornados outrebounded Lees-McRae 32-31, neutralizing an early Bobcats advantage in second-chance points. The Tornados pounded the ball inside throughout the game and held a 42-27 advantage in the paint.
Brevard was led by Trevon Shaw, who accounted for a game-high 18 points and dished out three assists. Moose, Brevard's leading scorer in the NCAA era that stretches back to 2008, chipped in 16 points and six rebounds. Debardlabon tied his career high with four assists while adding six points and three rebounds.
The Tornados went on a 9-0 run to take their first lead of the game, flipping a 23-18 Lees-McRae advantage into a four-point Tornados lead. Brevard tied the game on an Alex Moe layup in transition with nearly six minutes to play in the half after the Bobcats failed to hustle back on the defensive end. After a Brevard defensive rebound, Trevon Shaw found Moose on the right wing, who passed back to Shaw after a shot fake. Shaw hit a runner over a Bobcats defender trying to draw a foul, and Brevard had its first lead of the game.
Lees-McRae fought back to tie the game, but a driving reverse layup in traffic by Shaw found the basket and drew a foul. The three-point play sparked a 5-0 run over the final 2:11 of the first half, and the Tornados entered the break with a 36-31 lead.
The Bobcats had three players in double figures, led by 16 points each from Tutton and Kendall Isler. Sean Deniton was a top performer off the bench, accounting for five assists and picking up a pair of steals in 17 minutes of action.
Brevard returns to action on Wednesday in its second straight contest against a team from Conference Carolinas as the Tornados welcome Pfeiffer to Boshamer Gymnasium for a 4:00 p.m. tipoff.
Featured image courtesy of Tommy Moss.
