BANNER ELK, N.C. – Déjà vu for the Chowan Men's Basketball team as the late shot attempt would not fall for the second straight game as the Hawks could not hold on to a double-digit lead against Lees-McRae in Conference Carolinas action on Saturday evening.
THE BASICS
FINAL | Chowan 86, Lees-McRae 87
RECORDS | Chowan 8-8 (6-5), Lees-McRae 7-12 (3-8)
LOCATION | Banner Elk, N.C. (Williams Gym)
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
Daylan Askew produced a career-high 24 points on 8-13 shooting. RJ Wilson and Preston Le Gassick chipped in with 13 points each, while Christian Koonce and Jay Estime added 11 points apiece.
LMC went on a 17-4 run over the final 5:07, while holding the Hawks scoreless in the final two minutes.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half:
Christian Koonce connected from deep to start off the scoring. Koonce would add a free throw to keep pace with the Bobcats. Jay Estime used a pull-up jumper to give the Hawks a 7-6 lead early. Daylan Askew collected a point from the stripe before Preston Le Gassick knocked down a triple. Cheick Traore added a layup to put the Hawks up 13-8.
Daylan Askew knocked down a triple as the Hawks were able to corral a couple offensive rebounds to keep the possession. LMC scored five quick points to cut the deficit to 16-13. RJ Wilson ended the run with a three-pointer before Jay Estime hit a jumper to push the lead to 21-13. Christian Koonce connected from deep and Wilson added a layup to extend the lead to double-figures.
Donavon Martin ended a scoreless stretch with a pair of free throws. LMC clawed back slightly before Christian Koonce hit a pull-up jumper. Isaac Hippolyte added a hook shot and Daylan Askew hit a layup to offset points by the Bobcats.
The Bobcats closed the gap to 34-31 before Jay Estime knocked down a triple. Preston Le Gassick connected from deep to send the Hawks in to the half with a 40-33 advantage.
Second Half:
Daylan Askew put the Hawks on the board in the half with a pull-up jumper. Askew connected from deep to push the lead back to double-figures, 46-35. RJ Wilson knocked down back-to-back triples as LMC was held scoreless for over three minutes.
LMC scored five quick points before RJ Wilson recorded a dunk and Christian Koonce added a pull-up jumper. Skyler Davies joined the scoring column with a putback basket along with a layup by Daylan Askew to stretch the advantage to 60-42. Askew collected another basket as Cheick Traore added a layup.
Jay Estime knocked down a triple to put the Hawks up by 21, 67-46. The Bobcats cut into the deficit with a run to trim the deficit to 67-54. Daylan Askew and Preston Le Gassick ended the run with a pair from the stripe. Le Gassick hit a three-pointer before Skyler Davies tacked on a pair from the stripe, 76-58.
The Bobcats countered with seven straight points before Daylan Askew went 1-2 from the stripe and added a layup. LMC would not go away as the Bobcats cut the deficit to single-digits, but Askew answered at the other end with a triple. LMC continued to chip away with back-to-back triples to trail 82-78, with 3:44 remaining.
LMC continued to claw their way back as the Hawks were held scoreless for over two minutes. Isaac Hippolyte slowed the run with a jumper as the Bobcats trailed by one possession with 2:25 remaining. Preston Le Gassick gave the Hawks some breathing room with a pair from the stripe.
With 1:08 remaining, the Bobcats closed the gap to 86-85 at the stripe. LMC used three defensive blocks to keep the Hawks off the board. LMC took an 87-86 lead with 20.6 remaining. The Bobcats missed a pair of free throws but collected a steal to seal the comeback victory.
UP NEXT
Chowan makes the short turnaround to take on North Greenville in Tigerville, S.C. on Monday, January 23. Tip-off is slated for 7pm.
