HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Abraham Baldwin Agricultral College gave Carey everything they had but, in the end, it was WCU that prevailed 89-76 Saturday afternoon at Clinton Gym.
"I knew it would be tough on us physically today after a grueling 2OT game on Thursday night," said Head Coach
Steve Knight. "We had just enough left in the tank to pull out the victory. Happy for the win! I was impressed by ABAC and the effort they had all afternoon. They gave us fits on the boards."
The first half mirrored the Thursday night game against Life, as both teams took multiple turns with the lead. The Stallions were the first with the lead, building an 8-4 lead after four minutes of play. Less than a minute later, it was the Crusaders turn with the lead.
Dylan Brumfield made it a two-point game with
Cam Brown draining a three pointer.
Things went back forth for a while but with the Stallions leading 12-11, WCU scored eight unanswered to retake the lead with eleven minutes remaining. However, ABAC halted the run and using a run of their own battled their way back to take a 20-19 lead two minutes later. Both teams again traded shots but over the final four minutes of the half the Crusaders outscored the Stallions 14-6 to take a 42-37 lead into the break.
ABAC came out of the break and quickly erased the deficit along with taking the lead behind an 8-0 run just two minutes in. A three pointer by Brown broke the run and the battle continued with the Stallions taking the lead on multiple occasions.
With the game tied at 60 with just over ten minutes remaining, WCU seized control, as
Makeem Roberts and Brumfield combined for a 12-6 run to put Carey in front with seven minutes left in the game. Brown got in on the action, extending the Crusader lead even further with a 7-0 run of his own to make it 79-66. It was all Carey from there, as they maintained the double-digit lead for the remainder of the game.
Cam Brown led the way with 21 points with
Dylan Brumfield finishing with 18 points.
Makeem Roberts and
Jamar Jenkins each added 12 points.
WCU is back in action Monday, February 3, as they head to Jackson, Miss. to take on Tougaloo College in non-conference action. Play is set to begin at 7:00 pm.
