Jan. 29, 2011
Final Stats
By Dan Ryan
B-CUAthletics.com
ORANGEBURG, S.C. – All conference road victories are sweet, but there's enough about Saturday's 61-60 thriller at South Carolina State to send Bethune-Cookman into a diabetic coma.
CJ Reed sank two free throws with 23.6 seconds remaining and snagged the decisive defensive rebound with five seconds to play as the Wildcats (12-9) did the following:
1) Snap a seven-game losing streak to the Bulldogs.
2) Remain unbeaten on the road (6-0) in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.
3) Remain atop the MEAC with a 7-1 mark at the halfway point with a one-game lead over both Hampton and Morgan State, the latter losing to Norfolk State at home Saturday.
4) Win their seventh game in January, the most wins in a month during Clifford Reed's coaching era.
“These guys are road warriors for real,” Coach Reed said. “I'm definitely happy. “It's big to finally beat South Carolina State, but Morgan State losing makes this bigger. We have to take it one game at a time, but this one is gratifying.”
Adding to the sweetness is the fact the Wildcats overcame the adversity, both self-generated and road-generated, to continue the road winning streak.
B-CU gave up a season-high 21 turnovers and shot just 32 percent from the field in a first-half that ended with the Bulldogs taking a 33-26 halftime lead on Khalif Toombs' buzzer-beater.
In the second half, the Wildcats outshot the Bulldogs 50 percent (13-26) to 42.3 (11-26) and enjoyed a commanding 37-23 rebounding advantage, with Alexander Starling grabbing ten and Reed seven.
“We needed to play better and take care of the basketball,” Coach Reed said. “We did that in the second half. “
The halftime deficit was erased in just under four minutes as B-CU took a 38-36 lead on a Javoris Bryant free throw with 16:22 left. South Carolina State managed a 44-40 lead two minutes later before Garrius Holloman's lay-up with 7:14 left gave the Wildcats a 49-48 lead.
B-CU led by five twice down the stretch – 57-52 on Stanly Elliott's three-point play with 4:35 left and 59-54 on a Starling tip-in with 2:35 remaining before the Bulldogs (5-15, 1-6) made their run. Brandon Riley got the home team roll off the rim on his 3-pointer with 49 seconds remaining that put the Bulldogs up 60-59.
CJ Reed made his free throws and then got the long rebound on Toombs' missed jumper to preserve the win.
CJ Reed led B-CU with 17, but just as important as his scoring was his creating opportunities for his teams that led to Kevin Dukes draining a pair of key three-pointers and Elliott to finish as the obly other Wildcat in double figures with 11
“I have confidence in my teammates to make shots,” the junior said. ““We knew we were going to get South Carolina State's best game, If we play as a team, play hard and play defense, we have a chance.”
B-CU travels to North Carolina Central for a 7:30 p.m. game Monday.
NOTES: B-CU has outrebounded opponents in the last five games; Saturday's rebounding margin (+13) was a season best ... Of B-CU's six conference wins, four have been decided by three points or less ... B-CU is 7-0 when opponents score 60 or less and 5-1 when opponents register 20 or more turnovers ... This is the 2nd win of the season where the Wildcats came back after being down at half-time... Elliott has reached double figures in two of the past three games ... CJ Reed now has sank the game-winning FT twice this season ... SC State has now lost six in a row
