Concord Holds Off Urbana, 77-73

URBANA, Ohio – A layup by sophomore forward Trey Brisco with 2.6 seconds left in regulation helped lift the Concord University men's basketball team to a 77-73 win over Urbana Monday night at the Grimes Center in Mountain East Conference.

The Mountain Lions improve to 3-2 overall and 1-1 in the league while Urbana remains winless at 0-5 and is 0-2 against MEC foes.

Concord came out hot as it led 21-7 six minutes into the game. Brisco and senior guard B.J. Hamlet aided the early run for CU as the duo combined for 17 of the first 21 points.

Urbana slowly chipped away at the Mountain Lions' advantage as Concord led 37-34 at the break.

The Blue Knights tied the game six different times in the second half, but each time CU had an answer as it either led or was tied with UU for the entire 40 minutes.

After trading baskets in the early stages of the second half, the Mountain Lions opened up an eight-point advantage four different times from the 7:48 mark to the 4:36 mark. The last eight-point margin came after two foul shots from Brisco out of the final media timeout.

With CU up 67-59, Urbana drained three three-pointers while Concord had just one basket over the next minutes as UU closed to within 69-68. Junior guard Brendon Chevannes converted a pivotal layup before the Blue Knights knocked down another triple to tie the game at 71-71.

Brisco and UU's Ethan Snapp traded buckets to knot the game for the sixth and final time after Snapp hit a jumper just inside the arc with 23 seconds left.

Out of a timeout, Chevannes handed the ball off to Brisco at the top of the key where the Stephens City, Virginia native was isolated and drove down the right side of the lane for a layup with 2.6 remaining.

Concord forced a turnover by the Blue Knights, and Hamlet secured the 77-73 victory with two free throws.

Brisco finished with a career-high 29 points on 11-for-14 shooting. Brisco was also 2-for-3 from three-point distance and 5-of-7 at the foul line.

Hamlet scored 23 points in the game as he nailed five three-pointers and was 8-for-12 from the field.

CU's bench was crucial in the win as Chevannes scored six points and handed out four assists. Freshman guard Darian Peterson added seven points as he hit all three shots from the field.

Freshman forward Trey Shuff collected a team-high six rebounds. Concord outrebounded UU 33-30.

The Mountain Lions shot 53.6 percent (30-for-56) from the floor.

CU steps out of MEC play when it hosts Alderson-Broaddus 2:00 p.m. Saturday.