HARTSVILLE, S.C. - The Brevard College men's basketball team suffered its second consecutive defeat on Saturday, falling 75-51 to Coker in both teams' first South Atlantic Conference action of 2015.
The Tornados (3-9, 1-5 SAC) fell to Coker (4-6, 3-3 SAC) after a loss to eight-time Division II national champion Kentucky Wesleyan on Wednesday afternoon. The two-game losing streak comes on the heels of Brevard's best four-game stretch in four years with wins over Lenoir-Rhyne, Lees-McRae, and Pfeiffer.
The Cobras ran away with the contest, using an 11-0 spurt to turn a 4-2 deficit into a 13-4 lead over a four-and-a-half minute span early in the first half. Coker saw its lead hover between seven and 11 points for much of the remainder of the first stanza before scoring eight straight points en route to a 37-19 lead at halftime.
In the second half, the lead quickly stretched to 44-19 as the Cobras scored the first seven points after the break. The lead would not dwindle below 21 points for the rest of the contest.
Brevard was led by Trevon Shaw and Miles Leathers, who finished with 12 and 10 points. All-conference performer Darius Moose was limited to nine points on just 4-of-14 shooting, equaling his season-low point total. Forward Brayden Masten swatted away three Cobra shot attempts on the afternoon, while Jaylon Debardlabon finished with a team-high nine rebounds and had three of Brevard's ten steals.
Coker featured a balanced scoring attack that saw four players finish in double digits, led by Errick Bethel's 14 points. Trey James had 10 points, a game-high 12 rebounds, and joined Masten and Donte Samuels with a game-high three blocked shots.
Both teams were effective shooting the ball inside, with Coker holding a slim 32-30 advantage in the paint. Coker forced three more turnovers than the Tornados but 22 points off those turnovers to Brevard's eight. Brevard was also held to its least effective three-point shooting performance of the season, knocking down two of its 13 attempts.
The Tornados next take to the court in a conference tilt with Tusculum on Wednesday. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:00 p.m.
Featured image courtesy of Tommy Moss.
