ATHENS, W.Va. – The Concord University men's basketball team picked up its first win of the season with a 90-78 victory over West Virginia State Tuesday evening in a Mountain East Conference game at the Carter Center.
With the game going back-and-forth, a Concord (1-4, 1-1 MEC) run just past the midway point of the second half was the difference.
Holding a 59-57 lead at the under-10 media timeout, freshman forward
Kraig Gilbert kickstart a 17-6 spurt over the next six minutes. Gilbert caught a lob pass from junior guard
Kollin Tolbert and dunked home two of his nine points in the game. After WVSU (3-2, 1-1 MEC) scored on the next trip, senior forward
Amare Smith and Gilbert combined for back-to-back buckets. Holding a five-point lead, 67-62, with 5:58 remaining Tolbert threw in his two of his 25 points while sophomore forward
Boubacar Djigo had a stickback on the offensive glass to build the lead to nine.
Tolbert finished off a three-point play at the 4:35 mark, and junior forward
Rene Diop sank a jumper to build the lead to a game-high 13 points, 76-63, with 3:42 remaining.
West Virginia State did not go away quietly as it got the deficit to six points with a minute remaining. But, CU was 5-of-6 at the foul line in the final minute, including redshirt freshman guard
John Gabbert going 4-for-4.
Both defenses were active early as neither team shot better than 36 percent in the first half. Though shooting 29 percent in the opening 20 minutes, the Mountain Lions held a 35-33 lead at halftime.
Neither team led by more than two possessions in the second half until Concord cracked off its scoring run just past the 10-minute mark.
Tolbert netted his season average of 25 points to go with eight rebounds and four assists. Fueled by a stellar first half, sophomore guard
Georges Archer tallied a career-best 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting. Archer scored 11 of his 14 in the first half. Smith added 13 points. Gilbert (nine points, seven rebounds) and Diop (eight points, nine rebounds) just missed double-doubles. The duo combined for 11 of Concord's 12 blocks, including Gilbert setting a career high with five.
CU's win was also spurred by the Mountain Lions going 26-of-30 at the foul line. Smith (7-for-7) and Gabbert (6-for-6) were both perfect at the charity stripe.
Concord returns to the Carter Center 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, December 4 to face Point Park.
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