BREVARD, N.C. - Three players scoring in double figures and a near double-double from Alex Moe weren't enough to slow down the red-hot Lenoir-Rhyne Bears on Saturday, with the visitors downing Brevard 77-66 to continue their best start in 25 years.
The Bears (7-1, 3-1 SAC), currently No. 2 in the latest Southeast Region poll and on the cusp of being nationally ranked, bounced back from the lone blemish on their record after a 123-122 loss in quadruple overtime to No. 15 Lincoln Memorial Wednesday night. Old Dominion transfer Keenan Palmore was one of five Bears to score at least 10 points, contributing 13 points with game highs in rebounds (12) and assists (six).
Brevard (1-6, 0-2 SAC) found itself down by as many as 23 points late in the first half after a Bears' scoring barrage. The national leaders in three-point field goals per game poured in 47 points in the first 20 minutes, including 11 triples. The Bears missed their first two shots from distance before making seven in a row over a 3:26 span, with the team's only miss from the floor during the stretch coming from inside the arc.
The Tornados' defense clamped down in the second half, however, allowing Brevard to outscore the Bears by a 40-30 margin and limiting Lenoir-Rhyne to a 39.3 percent shooting performance over the final 20 minutes. Demarcus Threatt scored 14 of his 21 points and dished out half of his four assists in the second half, while Miles Leathers scored all but three of his points in the second stanza.
With a 15-point effort, Leathers passed former standout Dominique Pickett to move into fourth on Brevard's NCAA-era scoring list. Leathers now has 955 career points and has a chance become the fourth player since Brevard attained full NCAA membership to join the 1,000-point club before the team's 11-day break at Christmas. He also moved into a tie for second with 197 career assists, needing nine more to surpass Pickett for the NCAA-era lead.
Freshman center Will Brown was a defensive bright spot for Brevard, setting a new career high with three rejections. Several Tornados tied career marks on the afternoon, with Threatt's block, two steals, and four assists, Omar El Diraoui's eight rebounds, and Stevie Williams's 12 points all equaling career highs.
Junior Jonas Watts, the first-ever Tornado to make the jump from Brevard's JV team to the varsity squad, saw his first action of the season Saturday, recording an assist on an Evan Dunham triple in the game's final minute. The basket provided Brevard's final points of the evening and capped a 15-4 run that cut Lenoir-Rhyne's lead in half over the final six minutes.
Palmore and Threatt entered the contest as two of the top scorers in the South Atlantic Conference, with Palmore's 50 made field goals edging Threatt's 47 for tops in the league. Threatt made eight field goal attempts while Palmore scored six of his own to retain a one-shot lead in the SAC rankings.
The Bears entered the contest ranked No. 2 in the country by averaging 21.4 assists per contest, No. 4 with a 1-to-1.83 assist-to-turnover ratio, and No. 5 by scoring 99.7 points per game. The Tornados, however, limited Lenoir-Rhyne to 77 points, 15 assists, and forced 14 turnovers, including a season-high 10 steals, to keep the Bears well off their season averages.
Brevard will take a week off for exams before returning to action next Saturday in a SAC matchup with Coker. Tipoff from Hartsville, South Carolina is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.
To keep up with all the latest information about the Tornados, "Like" our Brevard College Tornado Athletics Facebook page or follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @BCTornados.
Featured image courtesy of Zach Bland, Auburn Athletic Media Relations.
