TIGERVILLE, S.C. – The fast start by the Chowan Men's Basketball team was matched by the hot shooting Crusaders in the second half in an 88-79 loss in Conference Carolinas action on Monday afternoon.

THE BASICS

FINAL | Chowan 79, North Greenville 88

RECORDS | Chowan 7-9 (4-7), North Greenville 7-9 (5-6)

LOCATION | Tigerville, S.C. (Hayes Gym)

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE

Both teams shot 58.3% (7-12) from behind the arc in the opening half.  Chowan shot 58.6% (17-29) from the floor, while NGU shot 43.8% (14-32).  NGU would shoot 63.0% (17-27) in the second half to outscore the Hawks 51-35.

Khalil Ridges produced a career-high 22 points.  Tahkey Williams went 7-9 from the floor for 21 points.

BJ McLaurin and Ja'Darien Wade chipped in with eight points each.  Jamal Thomas tallied seven points, seven boards, four assists, and three steals.

HOW IT HAPPENED

First Half:

Tahkey Williams produced all the scoring for the Hawks early with a 4-4 start including three triples to five the Hawks an 11-5 advantage.

NGU closed the gap slightly but a dunk by Trejvon McFail and a triple by Jaylen Dilliard pushed the advantage to 16-10 and forced a Crusader timeout.  The Crusaders trimmed the lead to 16-15 before the media timeout.

The Crusaders took their first lead of the contest with a 14-2 run connecting from deep.  Jaylen Dilliard and BJ McLaurin netted a bucket each to slow the run down 24-20.  Khalil Ridges traded a basket with the Crusaders.  Ridges completed the three-point play but the Crusaders connected again from deep to lead 29-23.

BJ McLaurin sparked a 21-6 run over the final 7:22 of the half to lead 44-37 at the intermission.  Jamal Thomas notched two buckets including a coast-to-coast attack.  Khalil Ridges added 10 points during the run connecting from the floor, behind the arc, and the charity stripe.  Ja'Darien Wade ended the half with the final five points with a jumper and a three pointer to give the Hawks the lead at the intermission.

Second Half:

Chowan started off where they left off with a three pointer by Khalil Ridges to push the Hawk advantage to double-digits.  NGU countered with a 13-1 run to regain the lead, 50-48.  Jamal Thomas went 1-2 from the stripe.

BJ McLaurin slowed the run with a pair from the stripe, but the Crusaders answered with a three pointer at the other end to maintain the slight advantage.  Khalil Ridges connected from the floor to end the run.  Ja'Darien Wade knocked down a triple before NGU connected at the other end.

Michael Kelly connected from the floor to cut the deficit to 58-57.  Tahkey Williams added a point from the stripe to keep pace with the Crusaders.  Kelly added another bucket to trim the lead down to one, 61-60, midway through the half.

Tahkey Williams added a layup to swap the lead back to the Hawks, 62-61.  NGU added a pair from the stripe but BJ McLaurin countered with a pair himself.  The lead changed hands again as NGU picked up three free throws from the line after getting fouled behind the arc.

Jamal Thomas scored after an offensive rebound and Khalil Ridges connected from the floor to once again even the score.  NGU picked up five quick points prior to Tahkey Williams picking up points from the stripe.

Tahkey Williams chipped away at the deficit with a layup before Khalil Ridges knocked down a jumper.  NGU pushed their advantage to six, 80-74, with a deep three pointer with 3:05 remaining.

Michael Kelly looked to cut into the deficit with a layup, but the Crusaders had the answer at the other end.  NGU added points at the stripe before Tahkey Williams connected from the floor, 84-78, with 15.4 remaining.

Tahkey Williams went 1-2 from the line as NGU took the victory 88-79.

UP NEXT

Chowan returns home to take on Southern Wesleyan in a Conference Carolinas battle on Saturday, January 25.  Tip-off is slated for 4pm.