BREVARD, N.C. - The Brevard College men's basketball team once again found a way to win a tight contest on Saturday afternoon, propelling the Tornados to their fifth win in the last six games and into a three-way tie for fifth place in the South Atlantic Conference standings.
Saturday's victim was Wingate (10-8, 7-5 SAC), which had won its last three games and came into the day locked in a three-way tie for second place in the league. But the Bulldogs fell to Brevard (8-10, 6-6) by a score of 76-73 in another dramatic win that gave the Tornados their sixth straight win in games decided by three points or less.
Key in Brevard's victory was its ability to take care of the basketball and score off of Wingate's miscues. The Tornados gave the ball away just five times, their fewest turnovers since a loss to Limestone in November 2010, while converting 14 takeaways into 15 points. The Tornados also shot 78.3 percent at the charity stripe, led by Phil Wallace's 7-for-7 effort. Wallace has now made 39 of his 45 free throw attempts on the year, giving him the highest single-season free throw percentage in Brevard NCAA era history.
Miles Leathers pulled down a career-high 11 rebounds in the win, none more important than the last. With Brevard clinging to a 72-71 advantage as the clock ticked below 25 seconds, Leathers came down with the ball off of Isiah Cureton's errant three-point attempt. He then surveyed the court and immediately rocketed the ball to Darius Moose, who had sprinted back toward the basket as soon as the ball left Cureton's hand. Moose completed the layup just as a Bulldog defender arrived to attempt the block and the Brevard lead stretched back to three with 19 seconds to go.
Wingate's Xavier Griffin sliced to the hoop moments later to cut the lead to 74-73, but a pair of Wallace free throws and a Jaylon Debardlabon rebound off of a final three-point attempt sealed Brevard's third straight victory.
The game was in doubt for much of its latter stages, however. The Bulldogs slowly crept back into the game throughout the entire second half before finally pulling ahead for the first time with just over seven minutes to play. The Bulldogs enjoyed their largest lead at the 2:42 mark of the second half after a pair of Cureton free throws put the visitors in front 69-65. Leathers brought the Tornados a point closer at the free throw line before Moose tied the score at 69 with his second triple of the game.
After Wingate missed a three-point attempt on the other end, Alex Moe provided the fourth and final lead change of the contest with another shot from behind the arc, giving Brevard a 72-69 advantage. The Tornados went on an 11-4 run over the final 2:30 and held Wingate to just two field goals in the last 4:18 as the Bulldogs missed six of their final eight shots.
Wingate's loss spoiled spectacular days by Cureton and Ryan Daye. Cureton finished with a double-double, scoring 12 points and pulling down 11 rebounds, while Daye poured in a game-high 26 on 8-for-14 from the floor. Trevon Shaw led the Tornados with 24 points, with Moe chipping in 12 of his own.
With 73 points in the losing effort, the Bulldogs broke a string of seven consecutive contests in which the team had failed to surpass 70 points. The last time Wingate accomplished the feat was in a December 20 loss to Anderson by an identical 76-73 score to today's game.
The Tornados earned the win largely without the services of Darius Moose, who was credited with just 24 minutes of action. The conference's fourth-leading scorer was forced to the bench for the final 13 minutes of the first half after picking up three early fouls and played the majority of the second half with four. He tallied a pair of assists on the day, moving him into a tie with Gaither Hendrix for third in the school's NCAA era in assists.
Brevard travels to Harrogate, Tennessee for its next contest for a meeting with undefeated Lincoln Memorial. The Railsplitters were ranked No. 1 in this week's Division II Media Poll and were No. 2 in the NABC Coaches' Poll. Tipoff from Tex Turner Arena is scheduled for 8:00 p.m.
Featured image courtesy of Tommy Moss.
