SPARTANBURG, S.C. – On a night that saw seven ties and 10 lead changes, the Converse University men's basketball team scored a season high 87 points against Francis Marion in route to an 87-77 victory inside the Weisiger Center.
With the win on Wednesday evening the Valkyries finish their five game homestand a perfect 5-0. The win extends the longest winning streak in school history and the Valkyries have tied their season win total from a season ago. During the win streak the Valkyries have averaged 81.8 points per game.
The match started with a pair of turnovers by each side,
NyGel Boozer found
Uzziah Dawkins for the first points of the game with 19:04 to play in the opening period. On the Valkyries next possession down the court Boozer nailed a three-pointer and the Valkyries held a 5-2 advantage.
The two teams went back-and-forth for a number of possessions before Francis Marion hit back-to-back three-pointers to take a 12-11 lead with 11:27 to play. For the next 11-minutes of action, neither side was able to gain much breathing room, but Converse took a 36-35 lead into the halftime intermission.
Coming out of the halftime intermission the Patriots scored the first five points of the period and took a 40-36 lead. The Valkyries took back the momentum quickly, however, behind a pair of
Earl Burgess III and Boozer buckets. With 13:20 to play in the game
Aaron Porcil jump started the Valkyries offense once again with a three-pointer. Moments later
Bosko Bojovic scored back-to-back baskets and the Valkyries held a seven-point advantage.
The Patriots proved to be a major pest for the Valkyries as they continued to hang around despite trailing by as many as nine points. A pair of buckets later and the Valkyries were forced to call a timeout holding a 55-51 lead with 8:13 to play.
The timeout proved to be pivotal as the Valkyries went on a 14-4 run to pull away from Francis Marion. In the final 2:37 of game time the Valkyries attempted 24-free throws and converted on 18 of the attempts. By hitting the clutch free throws down the stretch the Valkyries were able to preserve their double-digit victory over Francis Marion.
Boozer led the team with 20-points in the match, Dawkins went to the free throw line a school record 12 times in the match and converted on nine of the attempts. With the performance at the line, Dawkins finished second on the team with 16-points. Bojovic finished with 12-points off the bench, while
Jordan Warlick contributed 10-points in the win. Warlick finished with a team high 8-rebounds, while Dawkins led the team with 9-assists.
Next Up:
The Valkyries will put their winning streak on the line this weekend as they travel to Barton College. Tip-off is slated for 4:00 p.m. in Wilson, N.C.
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