Second-seeded and nationally fourth-ranked Dalton State College lost most of two 15-point leads, including one with 2:06 left to play, but held on to edge seventh seed William Carey 84-82 in the men’s quarterfinal round of the Southern States Athletic Conference basketball tournament Thursday in Montgomery, Alabama. The Roadrunners (28-3) led by 10 with 39 seconds to go, but the Crusaders (19-13) outscored the winners 12-4 the rest of the way. Dauson Womack led DSC with 21 points and 13 rebounds, and Randy Bell and Aaron Burress scored 20 and 17 points. Kevon Tucker added 12. The day before, Bell was honored as co-player of the year in the SSAC, and him on the All-SSAC first team.
* Lee University’s 11th-ranked Lady Flames (26-6) are scheduled to tip off in their fifth consecutive Gulf South Conference basketball tournament at 3:15 p.m. EST Saturday against Delta State, and the Lee men are to play in their first GSC semifinal at 8:15 against Alabama-Huntsville. The semifinals and Sunday’s finals are being played in Samford’s Pete Hanna Center in Birmingham, Alabama. Both Lee teams are No. 2 seeds.
Wrestling
* After being designated No. 1 seeds for the Southern Conference wrestling tournament Sunday in Boone, North Carolina, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga 125-pounder Fabian Gutierrez and 197-pounder Rodney Jones joined the other No. 1s in being announced Thursday as all-conference selections. Campbell 133-pounder Noah Gonser is the SoCon wrestler of the year, and Appalachian State 125-pounder Sean Carter was voted freshman of the year by the league’s coaches.
Golf