BAD THINGS COME IN 3'S

A-B'S LATE THREE-POINTERS KNOCK MOUNTAIN LIONS OUT OF WVIAC TOURNAMENT

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Since the three-point shot came to college basketball in 1986, it's been one of the game's most exciting and game-changing weapons.

You'll have to pardon the Concord Mountain Lions if their current opinion of the long-range shot has soured.

Alderson-Broaddus sank three pivotal three-pointers in the closing minutes, and went on to defeat the Mountain Lions 91-86 in a WVIAC Men's Basketball Tournament first round game Tuesday night in Philippi, WV.

With the game in the final five minutes, and tied at 73-73, A-B's Cory Neale hit consecutive long shots to give the Battlers in the lead. Concord would recover and tie the score again at 79-79, but Carl Buck buried another three-pointer with 1:45 left to put A-B ahead to stay.

The Battlers had missed 15 of the first 20 three-point attempts before their decisive triple trifecta.

The game didn't end without some controversy. With A-B leading 87-84 with :18 left, Tommy Harper missed a free throw that would have given the Battlers a two-possession lead. CU's Corey Neeley elevated for the rebound, but was undercut by an A-B player. Neeley was unable to brace himself, and the impact of the fall knocked the ball out of his hands, and it rolled out of bounds without a foul being called.

A-B was awarded possession, and Neale scored a layup on the subsequent inbounds play to put the game out of reach.

The Mountain Lions started slowly and trailed 9-0. But CU regrouped, and when Aaron Fluellen drilled a jumper from the left corner at the buzzer, Concord tied the contest 46-46 at halftime.

CU scored six straight points to take its biggest lead, 67-61, with 9:38 left in regulation. A-B answered with a 12-3 rally to take a 73-70 lead, but Fluellen knocked down a three-pointer to square the score, which set the stage for Neale and Buck.

Fluellen topped Concord with 18 points, shooting 6-9 from the field and 4-6 from the arc. Neeley went 17 points, while Javaughn Acree-Manuel – named the WVIAC All-Conference team on Monday -- added 16 points and a team-high five rebounds.

Rafee Smith, Concord's only senior, finished with 13 points, including a layup that tied the game at 79-79.

A-B's Neale, who averaged 5.5 points per game in the regular season, led all scorers with 23 points in just 16 minutes, shooting 4-6 from outside the arc. He was one of five Battlers players in double figures.

The Battlers' deliberate style often confounded the CU defense. A-B shot a robust .558 from the field (29-52), and limited Concord to .410 (25-61). The Battlers lead the conference in opponent's shooting percentage.

Concord finishes its season at 11-18, an improvement over a 6-22 mark a year ago. At 18-11, A-B advances to the conference quarterfinals Thursday in Charleston.


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