Bulldogs stop Hornets’ comeback, pull away for home win
Published 12:20 am Sunday, January 27, 2013
Selma University’s Jamie Washington, right, brings the ball up the floor while Concordia College’s Travis Rasco defends during Saturday’s game at Selma University. Selma University held off two comeback attempts by Concordia to capture an 84-72 win. -- Robert Hudson
The Concordia College Hornets overcame a big first-half deficit, but the Selma University Bulldogs put a halt to the run and pulled away for an 84-72 win at home on Saturday.
Jeremy Fortune, head men’s basketball coach of Selma University (10-6), said his team upped its intensity to pull away for the win.
“Once we came out and they started making their run, I just told them that if we don’t go out and play the type of defense that we’re capable of playing, this was going to be an upset,” Fortune said, “so they came out with a little more enthusiasm and they pulled it out.”
Fredrick Summers, head men’s basketball coach of Concordia (4-18), said his team just ran out of steam after coming back in the second.
“Down the stretch, I think we kind of wore ourselves out when we came out in the second half and got back in the game. Picking up the defensive intensity, I think it kind of wore us out toward the end. We dug ourselves too big of a hole in the first half to try to get back in the second.”
The Hornets trailed by as much as 21 points in the first half and went into the locker room behind 43-24, but rallied in the second half.
Trailing 56-46, Concordia got to within single digits, as Travis Rasco scored on a backdoor layup and Dupri Rivers finished a fast break with a basket on an assist from Rasco to make it 56-50 with 10:38 left to play.
The Hornets got to within four, but Selma’s Kawaski Calhoun scored in the paint and Ahmad Jackson hit a shot and the free throw after being fouled to make it 61-52 with 10:04 left.
Jackson added two more points and Adrian Wilson scored on a 3-point play that made it 66-54, but Concordia’s Rafael Alvarado scored on a layup that sparked a 7-0 run that put the Hornets back within five at 66-61 with 6:10 to play.
But Calhoun hit a free throw and Joshua Stallworth scored in the paint the stop the run, as Selma outscored the Hornets 9-2 in a two-minute stretch that put them up 75-63 and put the game safely in the win column.
Stallworth had 18 points for Selma, while Jamie Washington and Jackson each had 13 points for the Bulldogs.
