MURFREESBORO, N.C. – The Chowan Men's Basketball team overcame a double-digit deficit before faltering in the final seconds in an 83-81 loss to North Greenville to open Conference Carolinas play on Saturday afternoon.
THE BASICS
FINAL | Chowan 81, North Greenville 83
RECORDS | Chowan 2-3 (0-1), North Greenville 3-3 (1-0)
LOCATION | Murfreesboro, N.C. (Helms Center)
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
Ja'Darien Wade and BJ McLaurin recorded double-doubles in the loss. Wade led the team with 23 points and added 13 rebounds to go with five assists, four steals and two blocks. McLaurin posted 18 points and hauled in 15 rebounds and four assists.
Jaylen Dilliard and Jamal Thomas chipped in with 16 and 12 points respectively.
North Greenville went 17-32 (53.1%) from behind the arc. Chowan went to the line 30 times compared to six for the Crusaders.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half:
Chowan started the game on a 7-0 run. Tahkey Williams hit two free throws and a triple along with a layup by BJ McLaurin. NGU countered with an 18-3 run to lead 18-10. Ja'Darien Wade went 1-2 from the stripe and Williams hit a layup.
Ja'Darien Wade would spark a rally to even things at 21-all with a three-ball. Wade added a jumper and another triple before a transition three by Brandon Mayhan evened the score.
NGU went on the attack again with a 10-3 run to lead 31-24. Jaylen Dilliard knocked down a three for the Hawks.
Chowan cut the deficit to three, 31-28, with a three-point play by Jaylen Dilliard and 1-2 from the line by Jamal Thomas.
The Crusaders knocked down four straight three-pointers to spark a 14-0 run to lead 45-28 with 2:52 remaining in the half.
The Hawks would trail 47-37 at the half as a small run by the Blue and White before the halftime buzzer picked up some steam. Ja'Darien Wade started off with a jumper before points at the stripe by Jamal Thomas and BJ McLaurin led to a three pointer at the buzzer by Jaylen Dilliard.
Second Half:
Chowan slowly chipped away at the deficit as Brandon Mayhan started the scoring with a jumper in transition. Ja'Darien Wade would produce a putback score and BJ McLaurin would add two points from the line, a jumper, and a dunk to cut the deficit to seven, 54-47.
The Hawks would continue to cut the deficit to single-digits but the Crusaders had the answer at the other end with a three pointer.
Following a timeout with 10:23 remaining in the half and trailing by 13, Chowan mounted a 17-3 run that lasted over six minutes to take a 75-74 lead. Jamal Thomas and BJ McLaurin started the rally off with a pair of jumpers each. Ja'Darien Wade added a jumper and Jamal Thomas knocked down a three-pointer. A pair of free throws by BJ McLaurin and Jamal Thomas allowed the Hawks to pull ahead.
The score would be deadlocked as both teams answered down the stretch. NGU knocked down a three pointer with 32 seconds left. Jaylen Dilliard went 1-2 from the stripe to pull within two, 83-81. After NGU missed the front end of the one-and-one, Jamal Thomas was fouled with 2.2 seconds remaining. The freshman was unable to gain ground on the scoreboard as the Hawks fell 83-81.
UP NEXT
Chowan continues the rivalry with nearby Mount Olive as this time the contest is a Conference Carolinas game. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 on Tuesday, November 26.
