DAHLONEGA, Ga. - Brevard picked up its first win of the season on the road Wednesday at North Georgia, closing the game on a 22-9 run over the final 5:37 to defeat the Nighthawks 82-76 and score the Tornados' first-ever victory over a school competing in the Peach Belt Conference.
Alex Moe scored 10 of his 17 points in the decisive stretch, knocking down three-point shots on consecutive touches to help vault the Tornados (1-5) into the lead as the clock ticked below three minutes. The Nighthawks (2-6) retook the lead on a pair of T.J. Williams free throws on the ensuing possession, but Demarcus Threatt's slashing layup between three defenders gave Brevard a lead it would not relinquish with 2:05 to play.
The Tornados clamped down defensively during the game's final moments, forcing North Georgia into four straight missed shots down the stretch before allowing two easy layups while guarding the perimeter to protect a six-point lead in the final 20 seconds. The Tornados also forced a shot clock violation and two turnovers during the run, causing North Georgia to come away without points on six out of nine possessions over a 4:52 span.
"Any time you have a run, you have to keep the other guys from scoring," said head coach Lee Burgess. "I felt like our guys stayed locked in with our defensive game plan throughout the game and that continued throughout the stretch. We did a really good job not trying to do something different to keep them from scoring.
"On the offensive end we didn't panic," he continued. "We didn't start feeling like we had to make plays one-on-one. We trusted our teammates, got quality shots, and were able to knock enough of them down to get back into the lead."
As the nation's third-leading team in free throws made stayed within striking distance thanks to their work at the charity stripe, the Tornados put on an offensive clinic at the other end. After the Nighthawks' Sean Brennan knotted the score at 72 from the free throw line with 1:40 to play, D.J. Bostick's uncontested tip-in off an errant Threatt three-point attempt put the Tornados ahead 74-72.
Following a turnover, Threatt hit his second acrobatic layup in as many minutes, this time from the right side, to push the advantage to four points. The Tornados never saw the lead dip below four as Brevard held the Nighthawks at bay at the free throw line, then scored their final two points on a dunk by Alex Moe after North Georgia was unable to foul on an inbounds play in the final five seconds.
Threatt led a group of four Tornados in double figures with a game-high 21 points. Miles Leathers notched his second double-double in the last three games with 13 points and 11 rebounds and moved into third place in Brevard's NCAA-era history with four assists on the evening. D.J. Bostick was a perfect 3-for-3 from the field on his way to a career-high 11 points. In all, eight of the nine Tornados that saw the floor scored.
Brevard committed just seven turnovers in the winning effort, its fewest since a victory over Wingate on Jan. 24. The Tornados also won the rebounding battle 43-36, representing Brevard's largest positive rebounding margin since snagging eight more rebounds than Tusculum on Nov. 26, 2013.
The Tornados will now look ahead to a Saturday contest with Lenoir-Rhyne, which started the season 6-0 before a 123-122 loss in quadruple overtime to No. 15 Lincoln Memorial Wednesday night. Tipoff at Boshamer Gymnasium is set for 4:00 p.m.
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Featured image courtesy of Zach Bland, Auburn Athletic Media Relations.
