Brevard College placed five players in double figures and
overcame a career-high 34 points from Tusculum's Addison Flynn to
record an 85-76 victory Saturday afternoon in South Atlantic
Conference men's basketball from Boshamer Gymnasium.
Manzey Miller led the Tornados (4-22, 3-15 SAC) with 23 points and
Gerel Simmons and Dominique Pickett added 18 points apiece. Simmons
also had a team-high eight rebounds for the Tornados, who snapped a
five-game losing streak in their season finale.
Flynn enjoyed a career day for the Pioneers (6-20, 4-14 SAC),
shooting 7-for-10 from three-point range and 12-for-22 overall to
surpass his previous high of 32 points set at Catawba on Jan.
12.
Brothers Nick and Neal Spinks also reached double figures for the
Pioneers, as Neal had 11 points and six rebounds and Nick tallied
10 points and six boards. As a team, the Pioneers made a
season-high 10 three-pointers but could not avoid their fourth
consecutive loss.
The difference in the game was found at the foul line, where the
Tornados shot 18-for-23 as a team, including 16-for-19 in the
second half, while the Pioneers connected on just 10 out of 21
attempts (47.6 percent).
Miller went 4-for-7 from three-point range to lead a Brevard attack
that shot 11-for-25 from beyond the arc. Overall, the Tornados shot
46.7 percent (28-for-60) and held a 36-32 edge in rebounding over
the Pioneers.
Other than a few brief two-point leads for Brevard, Tusculum held
the advantage for most of the first half. Flynn carried the
Pioneers to a 41-39 lead at halftime by scoring 21 points on
8-for-12 shooting and four three-pointers.
Tusculum shot 51.5 percent (17-for-33) from the field in the first
half while Brevard was at 51.7 percent (15-for-29). Miller paced
the Tornados with 14 points in the first half followed by nine
points in just seven minutes from Simmons.
The fifth three-pointer of the day from Flynn gave the Pioneers a
48-43 lead with 15:58 to go, but a three-point play from Pickett
sparked a 7-0 run that pushed the Tornados ahead 50-48 with 14:25
left.
A Neal Spinks basket with 12:59 to go tied the game for the last
time at 50-50, as the Tornados went on an 11-2 run highlighted by a
dunk from Matthew Ward and a three-pointer by Pickett which gave
Brevard its largest lead at 61-52 with 10:11 remaining.
Tusculum cut the deficit to three on three occasions, on
three-pointers by Flynn and Nick Spinks and a three-point play from
Darius Carter, then pulled within a point at 72-71 on a free throw
by Neal Spinks with 1:58 left. However, a free throw from Alex Moe
and a layup by Pickett following a Tusculum miss gave the Tornados
breathing room at 75-71 with 58 seconds left.
Brevard put the game away at the foul line, hitting all 10 of its
attempts in the final 40 seconds including four each from Simmons
and Miller and two from Pickett. Flynn's seventh and final
three-pointer of the night set his career high with 15 seconds left
but could only bring the Pioneers within 81-76.
Carter finished with seven points and five rebounds in 38 minutes
for the Pioneers, while Keith Jumper had seven points and a
team-high eight rebounds. Off the bench, Matt Shown added four
points, four rebounds and a blocked shot.
Ward also reached double figures for the Tornados with 11 points to
go along with five rebounds and two blocked shots, and Miles
Leathers was the fifth Brevard player to hit double figures at 14
points. Leathers also had six rebounds and four assists while
playing all 40 minutes.
The Pioneers will be the eighth seed in the upcoming Food Lion
South Atlantic Conference Tournament and will play at top-seeded
Lincoln Memorial University on Wednesday. Game time from Tex Turner
Arena will be 7 p.m.
It will be third straight year that the Pioneers and Railsplitters
have met in the SAC Tournament. LMU won 72-58 in a quarterfinal
game last season in Harrogate, and had to rally in the second half
for a 62-56 victory over Tusculum in the 2011 semifinals.
