ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. – The Chowan Men's Basketball team could not hold off the late run by Elizabeth City State in non-conference action on the road on Saturday afternoon in a 65-61 loss.
THE BASICS
FINAL | Chowan 61, Elizabeth City State 65
RECORDS | Chowan 0-2, Elizabeth City State 2-2
LOCATION | Elizabeth City, N.C. (RL Vaughan Center)
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
Christian Koonce and Chase Barnett posted 14 points each to lead the Hawks. RJ Wilson tallied 10 points and nine rebounds before fouling out. Veigar Alexandersson posted nine points on 4-4 shooting from the floor.
The Hawks were 0-5 with three blocked shots on their last five possessions after leading 58-55.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half:
RJ Wilson opened up the scoring with a three pointer as it took both sides nearly five minutes to find a basket from the floor following the Wilson make. Elizabeth City State picked up a pair from the stripe and a triple to lead 5-3 before Veigar Alexandersson connected from deep for his first collegiate points. Alexandersson added a jumper to keep the Hawks out front, 8-7.
Chase Barnett and Christian Koonce ended another lull in the action with a pair of baskets. Barnett picked up 1-2 from the stripe and Jay Estime connected from the floor to lead 15-13. RJ Wilson added three points and Koonce added a jumper to keep the Hawks ahead, 20-18.
Cheick Traore contributed with a layup along with a jumper by Christian Koonce before the Vikings took the lead 28-24. RJ Wilson and Daylan Askew picked up a pair of buckets to even the score at 28-all down the stretch.
Christian Koonce knotted things up at 30-all with a jumper before the Vikings took a 33-30 lead into the locker room.
Second Half:
Daylan Askew put the Hawks on the board in the second half with a layup before RJ Wilson added a basket. ECSU pushed their lead to six, 40-34, with a quick five point run before the Hawks countered with an 8-0 run to lead 42-40. Veigar Alexandersson started the run with a layup followed by baskets by Christian Koonce, Cheick Traore, and Chase Barnett.
ECSU went on a 10-2 run to regain the lead as a pair from the stripe by Chase Barnett cut the deficit to one. The Vikings lead 52-44 before a jumper by Cheick Traore and a triple by Barnett forced a timeout with the Hawks trailing 52-49.
Out of the timeout, Chase Barnett picked up a pair from the stripe to cut the deficit to one, 52-51, with 7:24 remaining. Christian Koonce added a layup after a pair of free throws by the Vikings. Barnett evened the score with a 1-2 effort from the stripe. Daylan Askew hit a jumper to give the Hawks a 56-54 lead with 6:12 remaining.
After a free throw by the Vikings, Veigar Alexandersson connected from the floor to give the Hawks a 58-55 advantage. Christian Koonce added a pair from the stripe to push the lead to five, 60-55. ECSU collected a pair from the stripe along with a layup to cut the deficit to 60-59 with three minutes to play.
The Vikings evened the score at 60-all with 2:14 remaining on a 1-2 trip at the line after three blocked shots at the other end. The lead would swing back into the Hawks' favor as Chase Barnett picked up a point at the charity stripe. ECSU countered with a layup to lead 62-61 with 1:31 remaining. The Vikings added a layup to finish off the contest.
UP NEXT
Chowan opens up Conference Carolinas play on the road on Tuesday, November 22 as the Hawks take on Francis Marion in Florence, S.C. Tip-off is slated for 7:30pm.
