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Leo Da Campo
73
Shorter Short 2-8,0-4 Conference Carolinas
79
Winner Converse Conv 4-7,3-2 Conference Carolinas
Shorter Short
2-8,0-4 Conference Carolinas
73
Final
79
Converse Conv
4-7,3-2 Conference Carolinas
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Shorter Short 33 40 73
Converse Conv 33 46 79

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Valkyries Overcome Slow Start To Knock Off Hawks

SPARTANBURG S.C. – The Converse University men's basketball team defeated Shorter 79-73 on Saturday afternoon inside the Weisiger Center.
 
With the victory the Valkyries snap a two match losing streak and improve to 4-7 overall and 3-2 in Conference Carolinas action. Meanwhile, Shorter falls to 2-8 overall on the season and 0-4 in Conference Carolinas play.
 
Jay Mitchell led the team with a 17-point outing on Saturday afternoon, while Kyle Monk contributed 15-points off the bench for the Valkyries. Leo Da Campo finished with a career high with 13-points against the Hawks, and also led the team in both rebounds (7) and assists (4) on the evening. Ben Jones also finished with a team best seven rebounds, while Monk led the team with a pair of blocks on the day.
 
First Half Notes:
  • Jabiri Smith scored the first points of the game for either side with a three-pointer at the 19:37 mark of the first half.
  • Da Campo found Caleb Reams for the game tying three-pointer on the Valkyries first possession down the court. An Edoardo Buffo steal led to fast break shot for Reams who gave the Valkyries the first lead of the match at the 18:52 mark of the period.
  • The lead was short lived, however, as Ja'Myas Davis connected on a three-pointer to give Shorter a 6-5 advantage. The three-pointer jump started a run that saw the Hawks race to a 12-5 lead over the Valkyries.
  • Da Campo found Buffo for a three-pointer to stop the Hawks run with 16:13 to play in the opening half of action.
  • After several quiet minutes of basketball by both teams, Earl Burgeess III and Jaylen Golston made back-to-back baskets to pull the Valkyries within a trio of points at 15-12.
  • Shorter countered with a 5-0 over the next 90 seconds of game time to retake a 20-12 advantage over Converse.
  • With 10:57 to play in the opening half, Burgess III, Golston and Monk all made consecutive baskets to pull the Valkyries back within a point at 20-19. The quick offensive outburst by the Valkyries forced the Hawks to use their first timeout of the game.
  • At the 7:31 mark of the opening half, the Valkyries completed the comeback as Da Campo tied the match at 21. Moments later, Jay Mitchell converted on a pair of free throws to give Converse a 25-23 edge over the Hawks.
  • The two teams went back-and-forth down the stretch in the opening half of action and went into the halftime break tied at 33.
  • Converse shot 33 percent from the field in the opening half, 23 percent from three-point range and 77 percent from the free throw line.
 
Second Half Notes:
  • Coming out of the halftime break, Da Campo scored the first points of the half for either side at the 19:24 mark of the period.
  • The match was once again tied at 37 all with 17:42 to play in the match, when Ja'myas Davis committed a personal foul and then was assessed a technical following the unsporting behavior. The converted on two of the four free throw attempts given and held a slight 39-37 advantage.
  • A few moments later the Valkyries had carried that momentum into a small run and held a 45-39 lead over Shorter with 16:05 to play in the game.
  • The Hawks countered and pulled within a pair of points at 45-43 with 14:54 to play in the period. Converse countered with back-to-back three-pointers by Monk and a midrange jumper from Isac Ahnstrand. The offensive outburst gave Converse a 53-43 Shorter with 12:47 to play in the match.
  • The Valkyries were able to maintain a double-digit advantage for a few more minutes before Shorter began to make their own run.
  • From the 9:14 mark to the 7:32 mark in the second half, Shorter chipped away at the Valkyries double-digit lead and a 9-0 run had the Hawks back within a point at 61-60.
  • Converse once again responded on the offensive end and jumped back out to an eight point advantage with four minutes to play in the game.
  • The Hawks made one final push in the closing moments of the second half, but the Valkyries were able to hold off the late run to come away with the victory.
  • Converse outscored Shorter 46-40 in the second half, shooting 57 percent from the field, 41 percent from three-point range and 63 percent from the free throw line.
Stat Leaders:
Points – Mitchell (17), Monk (15), Da Campo (13)
Rebounds – Da Campo (7), Jones (7), Monk (5)
Assists – Da Campo (4), Reams (3), Monk (3)

Next Up:
The men's basketball team will be back in action against Belmont Abbey on Wednesday, January 8th. Tip-off is slated for 7:00 p.m. inside the Weisiger Center.

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