MBB: SHORT CIRCUITED

COMEBACK THWARTED AT OHIO VALLEY

There wasn't much that went well for the Concord men's basketball team in its visit to WVIAC rival Ohio Valley Monday night.

The Mountain Lions uncharacteristically began the game slowly, then watched as the scoreboards and shot clocks went kaput at the Snyder Events Center.

The electronic devices never came back, but Concord very nearly did.  The Mountain Lions erased a 14-point halftime deficit and tied the game in the closing minutes, only to fall to the Fighting Scots 88-84 in Vienna, WV.

CU shot a chilly .263 (10-38) from the field in the 1st half – including an unlikely 0-10 from three-point range – and trailed 39-25 at the break. 
Mike Boyd Shot

But the Mountain Lions flipped a switch in the 2nd half and tied the score at 51-51 with 13:29 remaining in regulation.

Four times after that, OVU (4-8, 4-5) would reclaim the lead.  Four times, CU came back to square the score, with the last tie at 67-67 on Corey Neeley's three-point shot with 5:47 left.

The Fighting Scots responded with an 11-3 rally that put them in front 78-70 with only 2:42 to go.

Concord never folded, and closed within 85-84 on another Neeley long-ball with four seconds left.  But, with two second remaining, Jordan Brooks made the first of two free throws, and Austin Cunningham scored off Brooks' missed second attempt to close out the game.

CU warmed up to shoot .553 (21-38) in the 2nd half.  But the Mountain Lions couldn't short-circuit OVU, which shot .552 (16-29) in the final 20 minutes to snap its four-game losing streak.

Senior Javaughn Manuel topped Concord with 25 points.  Neeley and freshman point guard Mike Boyd added 11 points apiece.

Kendall Allison led OVU with 33 points.  Two Fighting Scots posted double-doubles – Rodney Everage (22 points, 14 rebounds) and Cunningham (14 points, 12 assists)
Up next for Concord (7-6, 4-5) is a visit to WVIAC rival West Virginia State on Thursday, January 9.  Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 pm in Institute, WV.

The contest will be broadcast on ESPN Radio 102.3 The Ticket, as part of a doubleheader with the CU-WVSU women's game, which begins at 5:30.  Streaming audio is expected to be available at www.theticket102.com.
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