MEN'S BASKETBALL: GO-TO GUY

ACREE-MANUEL'S LATE SHOT LIFTS CU TO VICTORY

• Share:

With the game in the balance, Concord's Men's Basketball team knew who was going to take the last shot.

So did the other guys.

Not that it mattered.

Javaughn Acree-Manuel solidified his status as the WVIAC's breakout star of the season by draining a contested 17-foot jump shot with :04.5 left, leading the Mountain Lions to a thrilling 67-65 victory over archrival Bluefield State Saturday afternoon at the Carter Center.

BSC's Bryan Tingle tied the game at 65-65 with a layup with :44 left. On the following possession, CU's Cory Willard missed a three-point shot from the right corner, but Gentry Shrewsbury grabbed the offensive rebound.
Concord reset its offense and got the ball to Acree-Manuel, the WVIAC's leading scorer. His high-arcing jumper (above left) just cleared Tingle's outstretched arm, and settled softly into the bottom of the net.

The win improved CU to 8-7 overall, 5-6 in the WVIAC. Bluefield State suffered its ninth straight loss, falling to 1-15, 1-11. The game featured eight ties and 10 lead changes.

Concord scored the game's first six points, but the Big Blues countered with an 8-1 run to take a one-point lead. They would lead by as many as six at 32-26 before taking a 34-32 edge into halftime.

The Mountain Lions scored the first seven points of the 2nd half to go up 39-34, but Bluefield State rallied back to lead 45-44. Concord would recover to take a 59-54 lead, only to see BSC reply again with a 9-2 run to lead 63-61 with 3:28 remaining.

Four straight points from Shrewsbury put CU back in front 65-63 with 1:04 on the clock, setting the stage for the exciting finish.

Acree-Manuel paced Concord with 19 points. Rick Alderman (right) added 14 points and a team-high seven rebounds. Shrewsbury (below) finished with nine points, all in the 2nd half.

Tingle led BSC with a double-double of 27 points and 10 rebounds. He shot 13-17 from the field. Hickman Simmons backed him up with 21 points, nine rebounds and five assists.

Concord went into Saturday's game leading the WVIAC in free throw shooting, and showed it in the 2nd half. The Mountain Lions were 13-14 from the line after halftime, while Bluefield State was 1-3.


BOXSCORE/PLAY-BY-PLAY

BLUEFIELD DAILY TELEGRAPH STORY


Up next for Concord is a visit to Wheeling Jesuit on Thursday, January 27. The Cardinals rallied from an 18-point 2nd-half deficit to defeat CU 82-81 at the Carter Center on January 15.

Next Thursday's game is scheduled to tip off at 7:30 and will be broadcast on ESPN Radio 102.3 The Ticket, as part of a doubleheader with the CU women's team. A link to The Ticket's audio webcast can be found on the Men's Basketball homepage on www.cumountainlions.com.

^{(photos by Jennifer Logan)}

Print Friendly Version