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Converse University

The Official Website of Converse University Valkyries Athletics
2024 Men's Basketball Team Huddle
81
Winner Young Harris YH 12-8,6-4 Conference Carolinas
72
Converse Conv 12-7,5-5 Conference Carolinas
Winner
Young Harris YH
12-8,6-4 Conference Carolinas
81
Final
72
Converse Conv
12-7,5-5 Conference Carolinas
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Young Harris YH 31 50 81
Converse Conv 18 54 72

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Second Half Comeback Falls Short for Valkyries

SPARTANBURG, S.C. –  Despite outscoring Young Harris 54-50 in the second half, the Converse University men's basketball team dropped an 81-72 decision to the Mountain Lions on Saturday afternoon inside the Weisiger Center.

With the loss the Valkyries are now 0-4 on Saturday afternoon basketball games in the month of January. Overall the Valkyries drop to 12-7 overall and 5-5 in Conference Carolinas action this season. Young Harris takes the first meeting in the series against the Valkyries and improve to 12-8 overall on the year and 6-4 in Conference Carolinas play.

Uzziah Dawkins led the Valkyries in points (24), rebounds (6) and assists (5). C.J. Jamison finished second on the team with 22 points and Joel Pullen tied for the team lead in assists (5) and led the team with 4 steals on the afternoon.

First Half Notes:
  • Converse won the opening tip-off and immediately caused Young Harris to commit a pair of fouls. Defense on both ends of the court proved to be the difference maker as both  teams missed their opening shots.
  • Kolbe Ashe started the scoring for both sides with a second chance basket at the 18:03 mark of the half. A few minutes later, Earl Burgess III found Malcolm Morgan for the first three-pointer of the game.
  • Going into the first media timeout of the game, the Valkyries held a slim 6-4 advantage over Young Harris.
  • With 14:49 to play in the half Turahn Thompson tied the game at nine with a midrange jumper for the Mountain Lions. Less than a minute later and Carl Cleveland gave Young Harris an 11-9 lead.
  • A 9-3 run by Young Harris gave the Mountain Lions a 20-12 advantage over Converse, halfway through the opening period of action.
  • Trailing 28-14 the Valkyries tried to jump start their offense with back-to-back layups from Leo da Campo and Dawkins.
  • The offense for both teams came to a sudden halt in the first half, following a Karl Chavis free throw. Neither team scored over the final 3:45 of the opening period as Young Harris took a 31-18 lead into the locker room.
  • At the halftime break, the Valkyries shot 23 percent from the field, 13 percent from three-point range and 40 percent from the free throw line.  
Second Half Notes:
  • Converse came out firing in the second half, as the Valkyries opened the second half on a 5-0 run against the Mountain Lions.
  • Young Harris countered with a 4-0 run of their own, increasing their lead to 35-23 over Converse.
  • The teams traded baskets over the opening 10 minutes of action in the second half. Every time the Valkyries dwindled the Mountain Lions lead down to single digits, Young Harris countered with a run of their own.
  • Trailing by 16-points the Valkyries defense began to step-up once again, an 11-0 run that included a pair of Jamison three-pointers and a Dawkins dunk, had the Valkyries back within striking distance down 53-46.
  • Young Harris once again countered with a run of their own and extended their lead back to double-digits.
  • The Valkyries weren't down as they chipped away at the Mountain Lions lead once again. With just 3:28 to play in the game, Jamison converted on his third consecutive free throw and the Valkyries had cut the Mountain Lions lead to 67-63.
  • Converse was unable to complete the comeback, as they scored just nine points over the final three and a half minutes of action.
  • The Valkyries had a much better second half shooting the ball, as they outscored Young Harris 54-50. Converse shot 53 percent from the field, 45 percent from three-point range and 89 percent from the free throw line.
  • Young Harris finished with more made free throws (27) than made field goals (25). 
Stat Leaders:
Points – Dawkins (24), Jamison (22), Burgess III (8)
Rebounds – Dawkins (6)
Assists – Pullen (5), Dawkins (5)

Next Up:
The men's basketball team will stay at home this week as they host Northwest Division Rival Belmont Abbey on Wednesday evening. Tip-off is slated for a 7:00 p.m. start time inside the Weisiger Center.     

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