Box Score
INSTITUTE, W. Va. – Led by a defensive effort that saw the Concord University men's basketball team force West Virginia State University into 23 turnovers and a 38.2 field goal percentage, the Mountain Lions defeated the Yellow Jackets, 82-68, Saturday at Fleming Hall in Mountain East Conference competition.
The turning point of the contest was a 19-0 Concord (8-16, 5-13 MEC) run that lasted nearly eight minutes. Sophomore forward
Nick Moyer started the decisive spurt with a tip-in that cut West Virginia State's lead down to three points (31-28) with 4:17 left to play in the first half. Concord proceeded to close the period by scoring 11 more points to take a 39-31 advantage into halftime.
The break did little to cool down Concord as the Mountain Lions tacked on eight additional points to start the second half, giving CU a commanding 16-point lead at 47-31 with 16:37 to play.
The Yellow Jackets (5-13, 8-13 MEC) eventually broke their nine-minute scoring drought with a bucket four minutes into the second half, but the damage was already done as Concord continued its defensive onslaught through the remainder of the half en route to its third double-digit victory of the season.
The 23 West Virginia State turnovers were the most by a Concord opponent this season while the Yellow Jackets shooting percentage was the third-lowest allowed by the Mountain Lions on the year.
Freshman guard
Aaron Miller continued to provide instant offense off the bench for Concord, scoring a career-high 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting including three three-pointers Saturday. Miller, who also dealt out a pair of assists, is averaging 17 points per game over CU's last two contests.
Sophomore forward
Terry Hopewell registered his second double-double of the season with a 13-point, 13-rebound performance that also included four blocks. Hopewell's 13 rebounds were a season-high while his four rejections was his second-highest output this year; he blocked six shots vs. Bluefield State on Nov. 18.
Junior guard
Mike Boyd and sophomore guard
Cam Shannon chipped in 16 and 15 points, respectively, with Boyd passing out a game-high five assists and Shannon coming away with a career-best six steals. In addition to his stellar offensive performance, Boyd also matched a career-best with four steals on defense.
The Mountain Lions pulled down 46 rebounds, their second highest total this season. While Hopewell recorded the majority of the rebounds, the trio of Moyer, Shannon and junior guard
Paul Byrd collected six apiece while Boyd and freshman guard
Jalen Camper hauled in five each.
Concord outshot West Virginia State from both the field overall (43.3 percent – 38.2 percent) and from three-point range (37.5 percent – 29.6 percent). CU also held advantages over the Yellow Jackets in rebounds (46-44), steals (12-10), points in the paint (36-32), points off turnovers (25-23) and second chance points (22-9).
Jelen-Joy Dimitrios paced West Virginia State with a game-high 20 points and five rebounds.
The Mountain Lions wrap up their 2013-14 regular season by playing three of their final four games at home starting with a contest against Fairmont State 7:30 p.m. Thursday.
