The Covenant College men's basketball team has gotten progressively tougher as the season has gone one, and the Scots (6-13 overall) leveled their USA South record at 5-5 with a 67-56 win Saturday against Huntingdon in a game that had nine ties and 12 lead changes.
Teron Ferguson had 13 points and nine rebounds to lead the 14 Scots who played, and Colton McGriff scored 11 points in 11 minutes and hit the 3-point basket that put them ahead to stay with 3:26 to go. TJ Cox had 10 points and six assists.
The Lady Scots fell 62-53 despite four 3s and 19 points from Aleigha Williams. Morgan Woodward had five steals, eight rebounds and four assists. Pat Pickens and Tara Munford had 15 and 12 points and 18 and 16 rebounds for the Lady Hawks.
* At Cleveland, Maggie Davis scored 23 points and had the winning layup with under three seconds to go as Valdosta State edged Lee 64-63 in Gulf South women's basketball. April Thomas had 21 points with five 3s for VSU. Lee got 25 points from Emileigh Swafford, 20 with four 3s by Erin Walsh, eight rebounds from Christina Johnson and five steals from Carrie Cheeks.
Lee won the men's game 78-75 as Elgrin Wilson scored 19 points, Cory Billingsley scored 14 and Stedmon Ford added 10 plus eight rebounds and five assists. Chad Lee also grabbed eight rebounds.
* At Dalton, Ga., NAIA Division I's eighth-ranked Dalton State Roadrunners lost 56-53 to No. 22 Bethel, which is 18-4 and 9-2 in the Southern States Athletic Conference with DSC 17-3 and 8-2. Martin Methodist (19-3) is in first place at 10-2 after edging Brewton-Parker 72-70.
Jordan Bowling had 12 points and 10 rebounds, Anthony Hilliard also scored 12 points, Sean Tate and Preston Earle added 11 and 10 and Ladaris Green had 13 rebounds with four blocked shots for the Roadrunners. Green leads the NAIA in rebounding.
* At Barbourville, Ky., another eighth-ranked NAIA team -- Tennessee Wesleyan's women in Division II -- lost 68-66 to second-place Union College in Appalachian Athletic Conference play. Union is 14-6 overall, 11-3 in the league, while TWC fell to 21-2, 13-2 despite 22 points and seven assists from Shira Buley and 20 points from Jenna Adams.
Union's first-place guys beat Wesleyan 89-70 behind 19 points from Deante Johnson, 18 from J.D. Tucker and 16 from Fitzgerald White. TWC's Stephen Kite Jr. led all scorers with 23 points, while Devante Jenkins had 12 rebounds with 11 points and D'Monta Smith had 10 points and eight rebounds.
* At Waleska, Ga., Bryan College beat Reinhardt 46-42 in a women's AAC game but lost 98-83 in the men's contest despite 37 points and nine rebounds for Brandon Cole. Matt Porter had 16 points and 10 rebounds for the host Eagles (14-7, 7-5).
Keila Formont and Kristin Lane scored 14 and 13 points for the Bryan women (16-6, 10-4), Formont with four assists and seven rebounds, and Megan Billingsby had 11 rebounds. April Besley from Dalton had seven rebounds and four steals for Reinhardt (14-9, 10-4).
Area College Summaries
Women's Games
VALDOSTA STATE 64, LEE 63
Valdosta State (10-11, 6-9 GSC)
Simpson 7, Thomas 21, Waugh 6, Davis 23, M. Johnson 3, Duke 4, Owens, Jones, A. Johnson, Bistrow, Stjepanovic.
Lee (12-6, 9-6)
Cheeks 2, Johnson 6, Walsh 20, Swope 6, Swafford 25, Brown 4, Beavers, Neuharth, Jameson, Smith.
Halftime: Lee, 31-27.
HUNTINGDON 62, COVENANT 53
Huntingdon (9-9, 4-6 USA South)
Ward 3, Garmany 9, Pickens 15, Dorman 11, Munford 12, Lover 8, Weatherspoon, Harp 2, Howton 2.
Covenant (2-18, 2-10)
Dougherty 7, Price 5, Woodward 6, Bailey 4, Williams 19, Dirkse, Bell 8, Quimby 4, Nielsen.
Halftime: Huntingdon, 34-23.
BRYAN 46, REINHARDT 42
Bryan (16-6, 10-4 AAC)
Billingsby 7, Brooks 4, Formont 14, Griffin, Lane 13, Neuharth 5, Rau 3, McNeese.
Reinhardt (14-9, 10-4)
Besley 4, Favors 12, Nix 3, Smith 5, Thomas 8, Lockhart 8, Woodfin 2, Goss.
Halftime: Reinhardt, 28-22.
UNION, Ky. 68, TENNESSEE WESLEYAN 66
Tenn. Wesleyan (21-2, 13-2 AAC)
Adams 20, Barker 8, Booker 3, Buley 22, Gasper 5, YOung 8, Smith, McKinnon, Frederick, Walkup, McWilliams, McAfee, Moreland.
Union College (14-6, 11-3)
Lawrence 14, Mills 8, Nash 13, Perkins 15, White 8, Clontz 3, King, Jefferson 6, Stittunms 1, Wilson, Morrison.
Halftime: Tennessee Wesleyan, 35-31.
Men's Games
LEE 78, VALDOSTA STATE 75
Valdosta State (9-12, 4-11 GSC)
Spencer 4, Cook 12, Obande 8, Lemons 11, Justice 5, Jones 14, Hill 18, Nibo 3, Dejworek, Moore.
Lee (11-9, 6-9)
Wilson 19, Lee 3, Cullen 8, Billingsley 14, Ford 10, Johnson 9, Burrows 8, Copeland 5, Farley 2, Merian.
Halftime: Valdosta State, 38-32.
COVENANT 67, HUNTINGDON 56
Huntingdon (3-16, 2-6 USA South)
Davis 3, Layson 1, Ashley 6, Berry 11, Hughes 8, Washington 15, Jones 7, Strawn 3, Dallas, Johnson 2, Popovich, Coley.
Covenant (6-13, 5-5)
Portlock 7, Cox 10, den Dulk 4, Boyd 4, Ferguson 13, Arima, Frierson, Turner, Burns 3, Bell 6, McGriff 11, Engbers 9, Phelps, Sears.
Halftime: 26-26.
BETHEL (Tenn.) 56, DALTON STATE 53
Bethel (18-4, 9-2 SSAC)
Hardy 11, Burnett 8, Nelson 6, Terrance 5, Pollard, Williams 9, Green 7, Vaughn 3, Williamson 7, Renfrow, Fitzgerald, Bedwell.
Dalton State (17-3, 8-2)
Bowling 12, Hilliard 12, Tate 11, Earle 10, Green 6, Ruffin 2, Mosley, Burrey.
Halftime: Dalton State, 23-20.
UNION, Ky. 89, TENNESSEE WESLEYAN 70
Tenn. Wesleyan (10-12, 5-9 AAC)
Bass 2, Jenkins 11, Kite 23, Smith 10, White 2, Turnipseed 6, Simmons 4, Mosley 3, Robinson 4, Davison 2, Triplett, Whitman 3, Beeler.
Union College (19-4, 12-1)
Hagans 10, Johnson 19, Newby 9, Tucker 18, White 16, Rueter 6, Kapinga 5, Wagner 4, Elias, Fernandez-Munkholm, Rueter, Whitney, Bush, Krueger 2.
Halftime: Union, 44-30.
REINHARDT 98, BRYAN 83
Bryan (11-10, 6-7 AAC)
Cole 37, Holt 3, Lee 8, Troino 9, Y oder 2, Cusick 4, Long 11, Spears 4, Parsons 1, Tomlin 2, Chastain, Johnson 2.
Reinhardt (14-7, 7-5)
Hughley 5, Langston 10, Porter 16, Ricks 14, Stone 7, Cooper 5, N. Jones 13, D. Jones 10, Satples 12, Zahcary 4, Schulte, Webb 2.
Halftime: Reinhardt, 45-33.