SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Converse University men's basketball team lost 87-80 to Lees-McRae on Saturday afternoon in the Weisiger Center.
Earl Burgess III (Spartanburg, S.C.) scored the opening basket of the game for either side with a mid-ranger jumper at the top of the key. The lead was short lived for the Valkyries as Lees-McRae opened the game on an 11-2 run. Converse countered with a 7-0 run that was capped off with a
Jay Mitchell layup.
With 10:53 to play in the half,
Wes Morgan and
Sigurd Lorange hit back-to-back three-pointers to give Converse an advantage. The lead was short lived for Converse as the Bobcats countered with their second 9-0 run of the half to take a 29-20 advantage. For the remainder of the half the Valkyries played catchup to the Bobcats and trailed 49-38 at the halftime break.
At the start of the second half the Valkyries got off to a slow start and trailed by as many as 18-points to Lees-McRae. Converse slowly but surely clawed their way back into the game and with 9:38 to play,
Jimmie Sanders III converted an old-fashioned three-point play to pull with nine points of the Bobcats.
For the remainder of the half the Valkyries were unable maintain the momentum against Lees-McRae. On numerous occasions in the second half the Valkyries trailed by only two possessions but the Bobcats had an answer every time Converse closed in on their lead. Lees-McRae converted on their free-throws down the stretch and came away with the win over Converse.
For the second consecutive game, Eli Pitts led the team with 23-points, Lorange contributed 20-points, while Sanders III and Morgan added 12 and 11-points respectively. Lorange and Sanders III each recorded six assists in the loss, while
Nate Gordon led the team with seven rebounds.
Next Up:
The Valkyries will hit the road this coming Tuesday night as they travel to UNC Pembroke. This will be the Valkyries first official road trip of the season, tip-off is slated for 7:00 p.m.
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