SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Converse University men's basketball team went wire-to-wire on Saturday afternoon as they defeated Erskine 78-53 for their third consecutive win at the Weisiger Center.
With the win today, the Valkyries improve to 4-5 overall and 3-1 within Conference Carolinas action. The Valkyries now boast the longest winning streak in Conference Carolinas and in program history. Erskine on the other hand falls to 0-9 overall and 0-3 within Conference Carolinas action. The Flying Fleet now have the longest losing streak in the conference and they are currently the only winless team left in the league.
Converse won the opening tip-off and
Jordan Warlick (Irmo, S.C.) found Nygel Boozer (Hardeeville, S.C.) for the first three-pointer of the game. On the defensive side of the ball the Valkyries forced the early turnover and
Earl Burgess III (Spartanburg, S.C.) made the old fashioned three-pointer with a layup and made free throw to give the Valkyries a 6-0 advantage. The Flying Fleet turned the ball over once again and
Uzziah Dawkins (Spartanburg, S.C.) found Boozer for yet another three-pointer.
Erskine called a timeout with 17:15 to play in the opening period as they attempted to slow down the Valkyries offense. Coming out of the timeout break, Tavis Bridges scored the Flying Fleet's first points of the game with 16:55 to play. A few moments later, Dawkins knocked down a jumper in the paint to give Converse an 11-3 advantage.
Despite the Valkyries early momentum, they were unable to put away the Flying Fleet. Erskine hung around and chipped away at the Converse lead. Following a pair of fastbreak baskets by Jaylen Prioleau, Converse was forced to call a timeout up 14-9.
Coming out of the timeout break refocused, Burgess III scored the next four points to give the Valkyries a bit of breathing room heading into the final 10-minutes of the half. For the remainder of the half the two sides went back-and-forth offensively, but the Valkyries went into the halftime break with a 30-21 lead over Erskine.
Over the first few possessions of the second half neither team was able to find much rhythm on the offensive side of the ball. Then with 18:46 to play in the game Dawkins found Boozer for a three-pointer, giving the Valkyries a double-digit lead once again at 33-21. Once again, the Flying Fleet remained within striking distance of the Valkyries. A Prioleau jumper with 17:40 to go in the period brought the Flying Fleet within seven-points of the Valkyries at 36-29.
Converse responded to the momentum shift by Erskine and scored the next six-points to jump back out to a double-digit advantage. With 6:27 to play in the game the Valkyries began to break away even more, as Warlick connected on three-pointer to give Converse a 60-44 lead. Down the stretch the Valkyries converted on their free-throw attempts and
Sigurd Lorange (Trondheim, Norway) scored the final points of the match to give the Valkyries a 25-point victory.
Lorange and Boozer both finished with a team high 13-points, while Warlick contributed 12-points in the win. Nine different Valkyries scored at four-points in the winning effort. Lorange also led the team in steals, Burgees III finished with a team high seven rebounds and Dawkins finished with a game high six assists.
Next Up:
The Valkyries will have a quick turnaround this week as they host Livingstone on Monday night inside the Weisiger Center. The game has been moved up to a 5:00 p.m. tip-off time.
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