MEN'S BASKETBALL: HALF AND HALF

11/27/2010 12:27:36 AM

STRONG 2ND HALF PROPELS MOUNTAIN LIONS TO WIN AT BLUEFIELD STATE

Whatever Steve Cox told his Concord Men's Basketball time at halftime, it worked.

The Mountain Lions followed a nondescript first half with a resurgent second half to defeat Bluefield State 91-82 Friday night in the first day of the annual Currence Classic in Bluefield, WV. It was CU's first win of the season and the 326th of Cox's head coaching career.

The host Big Blues led 49-37 at halftime. But Concord (1-4) quickly cut the deficit in the 2nd half on the way to opening a lead as large as 12 points before closing out the nine-point win.

The Mountain Lions sputtered on the both ends of the floor in the 1st half, allowing Bluefield State to shoot .563 (18-32) while shooting just .382 (13-34). The Big Blues (0-3)
outrebounded CU 24-14 over the first 20 minutes.

Concord flipped those numbers in the 2nd half. The Mountain Lions shot a solid .514 (18-35) while limiting BSC to a frosty .294 (10-34). Moreover, CU outrebounded the Big Blues 27-19 after halftime.

Javaughn Acree-Manuel continued his impressive first season by leading Concord with 37 points, 21 in the 2nd half. The junior from Lansing, MI was 13-25 from the field, 7-16 from three-point range and 4-5 from the free throw line. He also had four rebounds and three steals.

Cory Willard added a season-high 16 points, going 4-6 from beyond the arc and 6-8 from the floor overall.

Important contributions also came from senior Rafee Smith (seven points, seven rebounds, three assists, one steal) and sophomore Gentry Shrewsbury (four points, a team-high nine rebounds, five assists, no turnovers, one blocked shot).

Joseph Spiers came off the bench to lead Bluefield State with 22 points. Five Big Blues scored in double figures.

BOXSCORE

Up next for Concord is a non-conference meeting with Bluefield College in day two of the Currence Classic. Tipoff is set for 6:00 pm tomorrow night at the Ned Shott Gymnasium. The game will be broadcast on ESN Radio 102.3 The Ticket (WMTD, Hinton/Princeton/Beckley), starting at 5:40 with the “Mountain Lion Preview Show.”

Print Friendly Version