BELMONT, N.C. –  The Belmont Abbey men's basketball team closed the game out on a 27-6 run over the final eight minutes to pull off the stunning 84-81 win over #22/RV Converse on Wednesday night inside the Wheeler Center.

Converse falls to 8-1 overall on the season and 2-1 in Conference Carolinas play. The Wheeler Center still proves to be a house of horrors for the men's basketball team however, as they remain winless in the facility. Belmont Abbey improves to 2-7 overall on the season and 1-1 in Conference Carolinas action.

Uzziah Dawkins led the Valkyries offense with 22-points on the night, CJ Jamison collected 19-points, Edoardo Buffo added 15-points, while Earl Burgess III and Jay Mitchell each contributed 10-points.

First Half Notes:

• Converse lost the opening tip, but forced the Crusaders to miss their first shot of the game. Buffo found Dawkins for the first points of the game with 19:18 to play in the half.
• A few possessions later Darius Kane scored the first points for the Crusaders. A timely three-pointer by Buffo gave the Valkyries a 7-5 lead with 17:26 to play in the opening period.
• There was hardly any stoppage of play for either side during the first eight minutes of the game. Buffo nailed his third three-pointer of the half as Converse went into the first media timeout up 21-14.
• Coming out of the timeout break, Mitchell went on a 5-0 spurt to give Converse a 26-14 advantage with 11:10 to play in the half.
• The Valkyries led by as many as 14-points during the first half but Belmont Abbey trimmed the lead back down into single digits. Converse went into the halftime break up 40-36.
• Converse ended the first half shooting 55 percent from the field, 42 percent from three-point range and 40 percent from the free throw line.

Second Half Notes:

• Coming out of the halftime intermission, the Valkyries opened the period on a 15-4 run and forced the Crusaders to call a timeout.
• Out of the timeout break, the Valkyries kept up the pressure and Dawkins scored on back-to-back possessions to give Converse a 17-point lead.
• With 10:48 to play in the game, Mitchell drove to the basket and played through the contact to make a layup. Following a made free throw by Mitchell the Valkyries held their largest lead of the game at 72-49.
• Facing a 23-point deficit the Crusaders hung around and started chip away at the Valkyries lead. With 7:23 to go in the game Belmont Abby had clawed back within 13-points of Converse.
• The Valkyries offense had gone silent, missing four of their next five shots in the period. Belmont Abbey continued their offensive pressure and trailed 79-78 with 3:08 to play in the game.
• Out of the timeout break Dawkins hit back-to-back free throws to give Converse an 81-78 advantage. The Valkyries never scored again over the final 2:50 of game time, as Mason Taylor sank the go ahead free throw with 1:29 to play in the game.
• Converse shot 46 percent from the field, 35 percent from the three-point arch and 72 percent from the free throw line.

Stat Leaders:
Points – Dawkins (22), Jamison (19), Buffo (15), Burgess III (10), Mitchell (10)
Rebounds – Burgess III (11), Dawkins (6), Jamison (5)
Assists – Buffo (5), Pullen (5), Burgess III (4)

Next Up:
The men's basketball team will stay on the road and travel to Francis Marion on Monday evening. The match is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off time.     

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