CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Playing just seven miles from his high school alma mater, senior forward Miles Leathers made the most of his final trip to his hometown in a 90-82 loss to No. 9 Queens.
Leathers established a new career high with 34 points, tying him for fifth in Brevard's (2-14, 1-9 SAC) NCAA era in single-game scoring. He missed just twice in 14 attempts from the field, ranking fourth in program history by shooting at an 85.7-percent clip. His field goal percentage is the fourth-highest by a Division II player this season who took at least 14 shots in a game against another Division II opponent. Leathers also made significant contributions on the defensive end, tying a personal best with six thefts.
With his third rebound of the evening, the East Mecklenburg High School product became the first-ever Brevard player to reach 1000 points, 500 rebounds, 200 assists, and 100 steals in a career. He has broken into the top five of Brevard's NCAA-era record book in each category and holds the career lead in assists (224) and steals (147).
Brevard came out firing on all cylinders against the nation's ninth-ranked team, shooting 69.6 percent from the field through the first 20 minutes. The Tornados went over 18 minutes without missing a two-point attempt in the half, finishing 12-for-13 inside the arc and knocking down 16 of 23 attempts overall to take a 41-38 lead into the locker room.
The game marked Brevard's best shooting performance in a single half since going 17-for-23 (73.9 percent) in the second half of a 95-73 win at Tusculum on Nov. 26, 2013. The Tornados finished at 30-for-51 for the game, the team's seventh-best shooting percentage (58.8) since joining the NCAA ranks prior to the 2008-09 season.
The Royals (15-2, 9-2 SAC), however, exploded for 52 second-half points, outscoring the Tornados by 11 in the second stanza to record the eight-point victory. Queens dominated on the boards, doubling Brevard's 21 rebounds while limiting the Tornados to their lowest total in two seasons. The Royals enjoyed a 20-7 advantage in second-chance points and held a 56-44 advantage in the paint.
Brevard opened the second half with a jumper from Leathers to extend the advantage to five points, but an 11-0 spurt by the home team gave Queens a lead it would not relinquish. The deficit hovered around the 10-point mark for much of the second half until a 9-2 run covering 2:09 trimmed the Queens lead to 82-77 with 2:03 to play.
Layups by Sean Morgan and Daniel Camps sandwiched around an empty Tornados' possession extended the advantage back to nine points with 1:16 to play, however, preventing Brevard from completing the comeback on Queens' home floor.
Queens came into the contest leading the nation in field goal percentage and shot at a 55.0-percent clip for the game. Sean Morgan, who ranked third among all active Division II players in field goal percentage coming into the matchup, led the way for the Royals with 22 points. Five Royals finished in double figures, including a 17-point, 10-rebound effort by Todd Withers.
Although overshadowed by Leathers, Demarcus Threatt was stellar in his own right. The junior guard amassed 24 points on a career-best 61.5 percent shooting (8-for-13). He also contributed a game-high four assists and had three of Brevard's 12 steals.
After a nine-day layoff due to wintry weather, Brevard will play its second game in three days on Wednesday when the Tornados host Tusculum. The Pioneers defeated Brevard 96-81 in Greeneville, Tennessee on Nov. 24 despite 34 points from Threatt. Tipoff of Wednesday's matchup at Boshamer Gymnasium is scheduled for 8:00 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 Neil Hayes. Click here to view more photos by Neil.
