SPARTANBURG S.C. – The Converse University men's basketball team defeated Lees-McRae 94-75 on Saturday afternoon inside of a packed house at the Weisiger Center.
 
With the win, Converse ends a five-game losing streak dating back to the second game of the season. The Valkyries are now 2-5 overall and 1-2 in Conference Carolinas action, more importantly Converse is now 1-0 in the Northwest Division standings. Meanwhile, Lees-McRae drops to 2-6 overall and 1-4 in Conference Carolinas action. The Bobcats are now last in the Northwest Division standings.
 
The Valkyries broke a pair of program records on Saturday afternoon that had stood since the Valkyries inaugural season in 2021. Converse connected on a program record 17 three-pointers in the game on Saturday, shooting seven in the first half and 10 in the second half. The previous record was 16 three-pointers in a game against Erskine on November 23, 2021. Converse also finished with 26 team assists in the win, breaking the old record by two. The previous record was 24 assists in a match, which the Valkyries accomplished twice before against Erskine (11/23/21) and at Morris (11/29/23).
 
Sigurd Lorange led the team with a 22-point outing against the Bobcats on Saturday afternoon. It was the first time Lorange had scored 20 or more points in a game, since a 23-point effort at North Greenville on January 25, 2022. Edo Buffo finished second on the team with a 20-point outing against Lees-McRae. Buffo was just one point off his career mark, which he set last season against both Emmanuel (12/2/23) and King (12/9/23). Buffo also led the team with seven rebounds and seven assists in the match. Kyle Monk finished third on the team with 16 points against the Bobcats.   


First Half Notes:

• Converse won the opening tip-off against Lees-McRae and Kyle Monk hit the first three-pointer of the game with 19:29 to play in the opening half.
• Ja'Quavian Florence scored the first points of the match for Lees-McRae at the 18:21 mark of the opening half. On the Bobcats next possession down the court they took their first lead of the match at 4-3.
• Edo Buffo gave the Valkyries the lead back with a three-pointer at the 17:10 mark of the first half, and Isac Ahnstrand scored a fast break layup seconds later to give Converse a 8-4 advantage.
• Following a back-and-forth volley between the two squads, DJ Kent hit a fastbreak three following a Valkyries turnover to pull the Bobcats back within a pair at 18-16.
• Converse countered with a 5-0 spurt, following a Lorange three-pointer and dunk by Jay Mitchell.
• Moments later the Valkyries held a 29-18 advantage following back-to-back layups by Davion McAdam and Leo Da Campo.
• With 6:52 to play in the half, Earl Burgess III made a layup to give Converse a 35-22 edge over Lees-McRae.
• Despite the Valkyries holding all of the momentum, Lees-McRae used an 11-2 run to close the gap to 37-33.
• On the Valkyries next possession down the court, Mitchell ignited the crowd with a slam dunk from the wing. Lorange and Ben Jones hit back-to-back three pointers and the Valkyries were up 45-33 with 2:51 to play in the half.
• A dunk by Florence at the other end made it a 10-point match as the Bobcats tried to steal the momentum away from Converse. A technical foul was assessed to the Lees-McRae coaching staff and the Valkyries stole the momentum right back.
• Buffo converted on a pair of free throw attempts and then tossed Mitchell an Alley-Oop dunk to get the crowd on their feet.
• Lees-McRae ended the half with a dunk, but Converse held a 49-39 advantage over the Bobcats heading into the halftime break. Converse shot 60 percent from field in the opening half, 43 percent from three-point range, and 100 percent from the free throw line.  

Second Half Notes:

• Coming out of the halftime break, Buffo hit a three-pointer to start the scoring for either side. On the Valkyries next possession down the court, Ahnstrand recorded a three-pointer to keep the Valkyries lead at 13.
• The three-pointers continued to fall for the Valkyries as Kyle Monk hit a trio of three-pointers over the next two minutes of action.
• Despite holding a 15-point lead the Valkyries were unable to put the Bobcats away in the early moments of the second half. Lees-McRae used a 10-3 run against the Valkyries and appeared to have stolen the momentum down 68-60 with 11:23 to play in the game.
• Jones hit a crucial three-pointer with 9:10 play to jump start the Valkyries offense once again. A second technical foul on Lees-McRae sent Buffo to the line for a pair of free throws, which he converted on both attempts. A few moments later, Ahnstrand knocked down a pair of free throws and the Valkyries were back up by 15, with a 75-60 lead over Lees-McRae.
• The Valkyries continued to stay hot the rest of the match, Lorange nailed one of his six three-pointers on the night with 2:05 to play in the game. The made three-point shot gave Converse their largest lead of the night at 92-71.
• Lorange scored the final two points of the night at the free throw line, as the Valkyries clinched a 94-75 win over Lees-McRae.
• In the second half, the Valkyries outscored the Bobcats 45-36, shooting 44 percent from the field, 52 percent from three-point range, and 64 percent from the free throw line.   

Stat Leaders:
Points – Lorange (22), Buffo (20), Monk (16)
Rebounds – Buffo (7), Jones (5), Da Campo (5), Burgess III (5)
Assists – Buffo (7), Jones (5)

Next Up:
The men's basketball team will be back in action against Francis Marion on Tuesday, December 17^th. Tip-off is slated for 4:00 p.m. inside the Weisiger Center.
 
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