Strong Second Half Propels Koala Men to Road Win over BJU
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Columbia (SC) (8-5) | 40 | 46 | 86 |
|
Bob Jones (3-4) | 42 | 35 | 77 |
GREENVILLE, SC - The Columbia College men's hoops team used a strong second half to defeat NCCAA foe Bob Jones University 86-77 on the road Tuesday night in Greenville.
An up-and-down first half saw the Bruins take a 12-point lead at 34-22 with 5 minutes to play in the first half before CC finished the half on an 18-8 run to trail by just two at 40-42 at the break. BJU then extended their lead out to 7 points inthe second half at 61-54 with 10 minutes to play. However, Columbia would not be denied and went on a 14-2 run to take their biggest lead of the game at 68-63 with 7:30 to play. CC then kept their advantage running it up to 8 points at 79-71 at the 2:30 mark before free throws down the stretch clinched the road win for the Koalas.
The Koalas put up 46 points en route to outscoring the Bruins 46-35 in the second half and shot nearly 56 percent from the floor and 50 percent from three while outrebounding BJU 37-21.
The Koalas put four in double-figures on the night led by 20 points from senior guard Kendall Brasfield and 19 points from junior forward Nakia Johnson. Brasfield also registered 5 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal while Johnson had 8 rebounds, a steal and a block while shooting 9 of 12 from the field.
Also in double-digit points were junior guards Thomas Whitley and AJ Vaught as they combined for 28 points with Whitley contributing 16 points and 7 rebounds while Vaught had 12 points, a team-best 7 assists and a steal.
Junior forward Chandler O'Bannon led the team in rebounds as well posting 11 boards with 8 points, an assist, a steal and a block. Shooting guards Tae Burton and senior Alvaro Mendez combined for 9 points and 3 rebounds off the bench as well.
Columbia improves to 8-5 on the season and will next go on the road to face D1 Presbyterian College in an exhibition game on Wednesday at Noon in Clinton, SC. The Koalas will then close out the first half of their season on Saturday afternoon on the road at Spartanburg Methodist College.