December 13, 2006

Boxscore

LAURINBURG, N.C.—Sophomore forward Keith Josey (Suffolk, Va.), who posted a double-double for the second time this season, scored 11 of his 14 points in the second half to help the St. Andrews Presbyterian College men’s basketball team hold off St. Paul’s College, 84-83, Wednesday night in Harris Court.

The Knights snapped a five-game losing streak by shooting 31-for-60 (51.7-percent) from the field to head into the winter break with a 3-5 overall record. The Tigers fell to 3-4 on the season.

Junior Richard Stone (Williamsburg, Va.) bucketed 13 of his 18 points in the first half including a trio of three-pointers to help SAPC build a 10-point halftime lead. The Knights shot 50.0% (16-for-32) in the opening frame while Saint Paul’s only converted on 33.3% (10-for-30) of their attempts as St. Andrews took a 37-27 lead into the intermission.

The Tigers were able to close the gap in the second half by drilling 57.1% (20-for-35) of their shots out of the locker room and a pair of Maurice Boatwright made free throws put Saint Paul’s into their first lead of the second half, 68-67, with 7:05 remaining.

After the Tigers regained a slim 75-73 lead with 2:33 remaining, junior Taiwon Grooms (Landover, Md.) responded for the Knights with a drive down the middle of the lane and a thunderous dunk. Shahumaad Jones put Saint Paul’s on top for the last time on the next possession with his own dunk but a Josey layup on the ensuing play tied the game at 77-77 with 90 seconds left.

The Knights build a five-point lead over the next minute by cashing in on 5-of-6 shots from the charity stripe but a conventional 3-point play by Jones cut the deficit to 82-80 with 25 ticks left on the clock. Grooms upped the SAPC lead to four with two made free throws and the Knights looked to seal the win as sophomore Charles Phillips (Decatur, Ga.) made a steal. However, Phillips missed the fast break dunk attempt and Hassan Robinson drained a long 3-pointer to pull the Tigers to within one with 3.3 seconds left. The game concluded with the same 84-83 score after Saint Paul’s could not get a shot off after two missed St. Andrews free throws.

Grooms led the Knights with a season-high 25 points. Josey’s 14 points came on a perfect 6-for-6 shooting from the floor while recording the double-double with 12 rebounds. Josey also had four assists and two steals.

Junior Jeff Worley (Charlotte, N.C.) added a season-high 13 points to go along with his team-high six assists and three steals. Junior Marcus Hoke (Charlotte, N.C.) chipped in with seven points before getting into foul trouble.

Robinson led the Tigers with 24 points, 11 boards, and five assists. Jones also had a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Bruce Royal tallied 17 points, seven assists, and four steals. Tristan Rankin was the fourth Saint Paul’s player in double digits with 10 points.

After the Christmas break, St. Andrews will visit its second NCAA Division I opponent of the season. The Knights will travel to Coastal Carolina University (Conway, S.C.) on Friday, December 29 with first tip scheduled for 7:00 p.m.