BANNER ELK, N.C. – The Converse University men's basketball team almost pulled off the comeback but fell just short, losing 84-81 to Lees-McRae on Wednesday night inside Williams Gymnasium.
With the loss, Converse falls to 5-7 overall and 3-4 in Conference Carolinas action. Meanwhile, Lees-McRae improves to 6-9 overall on the season and 3-4 in Conference Carolinas play.
Will Fowler (Duncan, S.C.) scored a team high 34 points on Wednesday evening. Fowler becomes the first Valkyrie to record multiple 30-point outings in a career and is the first to recorded back-to-back 30-point games in program history.
Jordyn Surratt (Spartanburg, S.C.) keeps his double-digit scoring streak alive with a 17-point effort tonight against the Bobcats.
Latavian Lawrence (Aiken, S.C.) finished third on the team with a 15-point performance against Lees-McRae.
Lees-McRae won the opening tip-off but neither team scored on their first possession. The Bobcats got on the board first before
Camden Edmonds (King, N.C.) answered with the Valkyries first basket of the game. Over the next several minutes of game action the two squads answered each other basket-for-basket. Lees-McRae took an 11-10 advantage into the first media timeout of the half.
Fowler converted on a pair of free throws and gave Converse their first lead of the game at 12-11. The lead was short lived, however, as the Bobcats scored on their next possession down the court. With 11:08 to go in the period, Converse trailed Lees-McRae 19-15 going into the second media timeout of the half.
Coming out of the break, Lees-McRae used a 10-2 run to separate themselves from the Valkyries. A 30 second timeout taken by Converse proved to be pivotal as they scored on their next two possessions down the court, ending the scoring drought for the Valkyries.
Converse was never able to retake the lead in the first half as they went into halftime break down 40-33. Converse shot 44 percent from the field, 15 percent from three-point range and 63 percent from the free throw line.
Lawrence hit a three-pointer coming out of the halftime break for the Valkyries. Despite the early three-pointer the Valkyries faced a double-digit deficit for the first nine minutes of the second half. Then with 10:38 to play in the game,
Tre Locklear (Boiling Springs, S.C.) hit a three-pointer and the Valkyries trailed 63-55.
Locklear's three-pointer sparked a Valkyries offensive outburst, over the next few possessions both Fowler and Surratt scored. The quick outburst had the Valkyries trailing 65-61 with 8:36 to go in the contest. Converse continued to stay within single digits of the Bobcats the remainder of the half, and with 1:13 to play in the game Fowler found Surratt for a layup. The basket put the Valkyries within a single possession (76-73) for the first time since the opening half of action.
Lees-McRae continued to hit their free throws down the stretch. With just six seconds left in the game, Fowler hit a fastbreak three pointer and the Valkyries trailed 83-81. Lees-McRae hit one more free throw, but time ran out before the Valkyries were able to complete the comeback.
Converse outscored Lees-McRae 48-44 in the second half. The Valkyries shot 59 percent from the field, 54 percent from three-point range and 90 percent from the free throw line.
Stats:
Points: Fowler (34), Surratt (17), Lawrence (15)
Rebounds: Fowler (4), Surratt (4), Lawrence (4)
Assists: Fowler (3), Surratt (2)
Next Up:
The men's basketball team will return home this Friday night to battle Shorter. The game is set to tip-off at 7:00 p.m. inside the Weisiger Center.
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