DUE WEST, S.C. – The Converse University men's basketball team defeated Erskine 76-70 on Saturday afternoon inside Belk Arena.
With the win the Valkyries improve to 8-13 overall this season and 6-10 in Conference Carolinas action. Erskine drops to 0-21 overall this season and 0-16 in Conference Carolinas play. Today's win is the sixth in the series for the Valkyries as they improve to 6-0 all-time against the Flying Fleet.
Camden Edmonds (King, N.C.) led the team with 22 points on the afternoon,
Tre Locklear (Boiling Springs, S.C.) and
Jordyn Surratt (Spartanburg, S.C.) each contributed 20 points in the win for Converse. Surratt also led the team in rebounds, while Locklear finished with a team best five assists.
Erskine won the opening tip-off but neither team was able to score on their first possessions down the court. Erskine got the scoring started with 18:34 to play in the opening period. Surratt found Edmonds for the Valkyries first three-pointer of the game with 17:33 to go in the half.
The Valkyries offense was virtually silent in the first ten minutes of the game on Saturday. The quiet start allowed Erskine to build a 20-10 advantage over Converse. The Valkyries offense came alive however, as Surratt connected on a three-pointer and hit the ensuing foul shot to pull the Valkyries back within six points.
Converse was able to dwindle down the Flying Fleet lead to just a single point at 22-21. For the final seven minutes of the half the two teams matched each other shot-for-shot. Erskine held a 35-33 advantage going into the halftime break. Converse shot 44 percent from the field, 31 percent from three-point range and 62 percent from the free throw line.
Coming out of the halftime break Edmonds hit the go-ahead three pointer for the Valkyries. On the Valkyries next possession down the court, Locklear connected on a three-pointer and Converse held a 39-36 edge over Erskine. Over the next several minutes of game action the two teams went back-and-forth trading baskets.
With 7:25 to play in the game the two teams were deadlocked at 60. Surratt converted the old fashioned three point play to give the Valkyries the early edge. Converse went into the final media timeout with a 66-65 lead over the Flying Fleet.
The Valkyries finished the game on a 10-5 run and hit their free throws down the stretch. Converse outscored Erskine 43-35 in the second half, shooting 60 percent in the field, 42 percent from three-point range and 70 percent from the free throw line.
Stats:
Points: Edmonds (22), Locklear (20), Surratt (20)
Rebounds: Surratt (7), Pruever (5), Locklear (4)
Assists: Locklear (5), Surratt (4)
Next Up:
The men's basketball team will stay on the road this week with a trip to Shorter on Wednesday evening. Tip-off is slated for a 7:00 p.m. start in Rome, Ga.
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