BANNER ELK, N.C. –  For the first time in program history, the Valkyries return from Williams Gymnasium with a win as Converse defeated Lees-McRae 80-71 on Wednesday night.

With the win, Converse improves to 12-6 overall and 5-4 in Conference Carolinas action. The Valkyries are also 2-1 against Northwest Division competition and are now tied with Belmont Abbey for the division lead. Meanwhile, Lees-McRae falls to 12-6 overall on the season and 6-3 in Conference Carolinas play. The Bobcats are now 1-1 in Northwest Division games as they sit in third place in the division standings.

Uzziah Dawkins led the team with a 24-point effort, CJ Jamison finished second on the team with 15-points and Joel Pullen added 14-points in the win. Earl Burgess III led the team with 8-rebounds, while Pullen led the way with 5 assists and 3 steals.

First Half Notes:

• Lees-McRae won the opening tip-off but it was a slow start for both teams offensively. At the 18:12 mark of the half, Dawkins got the scoring started for both sides with a layup.
• The score remained 2-0, until Joel Pullen stole the ball on back-to-back possessions and converted on a pair of fast break layups for the Valkyries.
• With 15:20 to play in the half, Williams Onyeodi put the Bobcats on the board with a layup attempt. The Valkyries went into the first media timeout of the contest up 6-2.
• Converse stretched their lead out to a 10-2 advantage following back-to-back second chance baskets by Leo Da Campo.
• The Bobcats continued to hang around and started to chip away at the Valkyries lead. Lees-McRae used a 12-8 run to close within a quartet of points of Converse. The run forced the Valkyries to call their first timeout of the half.
• With 8:32 to play in the half, Lees-McRae took their first lead of the game at 19-18 following a fastbreak dunk from Ja'Quavian Florence.
• For the remainder of the half the two teams traded baskets until the final minute of the period. Converse ended the half on a 5-0 run and went into the halftime break up 35-31.
• Converse shot 43 percent from the field, 35 percent from three-point range and 50 percent from the free throw line.  

Second Half Notes:

• Converse started with possession coming out of the halftime break, Malcolm Morgan and Jamison connected on back-to-back three-pointers to ignite the Valkyries offense.
• Holding a 41-31 advantage, Lees-McRae countered with a jump shot to get them on the board in the second half with 18:23 to play.
• The two teams trudged through a defensive battle on both ends of the court, but Converse held a 49-36 advantage at the 15:32 mark of the period.
• Lees-McRae began to battle back and trimmed the Valkyries lead down to five points, following an 8-0 run.
• The two teams traded baskets over the next several minutes of game time, coming out of the under eight media timeout, Dawkins went on a personal 5-0 run to give Converse a 62-48 advantage.
• A few possessions later, Pullen connected on a three-pointer and the Valkyries held their largest lead of the game up 67-50.
• Converse kept up the pressure on the defensive end down the stretch and connected on their free throws to close out the game.
• Converse outscored Lees-McRae 45-40 in the second half, as they shot 56 percent from the field, 60 percent from three-point range and 61 percent from the free throw line.

Stat Leaders:
Points – Dawkins (24), Jamison (15), Pullen (14)
Rebounds – Burgess III (8), Dawkins (6), Jamison (6)
Assists – Pullen (5)

Next Up:
The men's basketball team will return home this Saturday afternoon to battle Young Harris. Tip-off is scheduled for a 4:00 p.m. start time inside the Weisiger Center.    

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