SPARTANBURG, S.C. – It was nothing short of a thriller on Senior Day inside the Weisiger Center as the Converse University men's basketball team picked up an 89-87 overtime win over Lees-McRae on Saturday afternoon.
With the win the Valkyries improve to 9-14 overall and 7-11 in Conference Carolinas action, meanwhile, Lees-McRae drops to 10-17 overall and 7-12 in Conference Carolinas play. Today's win was the men's basketball teams first overtime win in five years (December 4
th, 2021).
Tre Locklear played all 45 minutes of the game on Saturday and finished with a team high 25 points and five assists against the Bobcats.
Jordyn Surratt finished second on the team with 21 points,
Camden Edmonds added 11 points and
Jonathon Pickering added 10 points in the victory.
Lees-McRae won the opening tip-off but it was Converse who got the first point of the match, when Surratt went to the free throw line just 12 seconds into the game. Lees-McRae scored the first field goal of the game, but
Latavian Lawrence countered with the Valkyries first made three-pointer in the contest.
The two squads were deadlocked at seven points each just 17 minutes into the game. Then the Valkyries used a 7-0 run to take the first commanding lead of the contest. The lead was short lived, however, as Lees-McRae countered with a 10-2 run of their own. The offensive spurt gave the Bobcats a 17-16 edge over the Valkyries.
Over the next four minutes of game action, Converse maintained a seven to eight point lead over the Bobcats. Lees-McRae then chipped away at the Valkyries slim lead and eventually tied the game up at 33 with just 2:20 to play in the period. The two teams went into the locker room tied at 37, Converse shot 38 percent from the field, 29 percent from three-point range and 88 percent from the free throw line.
In the second half, Surratt drove to the basket and drew the foul to start the period. The senior's hard drive to the lane jump started a 9-0 Valkyrie run. The quick scoring outburst prompted the Lees-McRae coaching staff to use an early timeout.
Converse continued to old onto a multiple possession lead and eventually held a 67-57 advantage over Lees-McRae with 8:20 to play in the contest. The Bobcats battled to the end of the half and with 2:03 to play in the game they tied the game a 73.
Lees-McRae took control of the chaos late in the game as they scored on back-to-back possessions. The late scoring gave the Bobcats a 77-73 edge with just 55 seconds to play in the game. The game appeared to be all but over as Lees-McRae held a 79-73 advantage with just 19 seconds to play.
Pickering made a tip-in layup and was followed with 11 seconds to play in the game. The freshman converted on the free throw attempt and the Valkyries trailed by just three points. The Valkyries quickly fouled and sent Lees-McRae to the line for the one-and-one opportunity. The Bobcats missed the free throw, allowing
Latavian Lawrence to grab the rebound and throw it up court to Locklear. Locklear then dribbled a few times and knocked down a game tying three-pointer as time expired to send the game into overtime.
Both teams missed their first shots of the overtime period, but Lees-McRae struck first with a layup one minute into the frame. Locklear answered at the other end to tie the game at 81, one Bobcat turnover later and Lawrence dunked the ball to give the Valkyries the lead. With 1:48 to play in the contest, Lees-McRae tied the match on a pair of free throws, 10 seconds later, Locklear hit a three-pointer to give the Valkyries the lead once more.
With 1:01 left to go in the game, Locklear knocked down a pair of free throws to give Converse an 88-85 edge over the Bobcats. Lees-McRae made a pair of free throws and pulled within a point at the 46 second mark of the period. Locklear missed midway jumper at the other end and Lees-McRae had a chance to win with 23 seconds left in the game. The Bobcats missed a layup but were then fouled with 12 seconds to play. Lees-McRae missed both free throws and Pickering grabbed the rebound with 8 seconds to go in the game.
Pickering missed the first free throw but made the second to give the Valkyries a two point advantage. Lees-McRae raced down the court for one last attempt, the Bobcats missed the game tying layup but secured the offensive rebound. A last second three-pointer fell short and Converse came away with win on Senior Day.
Stats:
Points: Locklear (25), Surratt (21), Edmonds (11) Pickering (10)
Rebounds: Surratt (7), Brownell (7), Pickering (6), Edmonds (5)
Assists: Locklear (5)
Next Up:
The men's basketball team will be back at home this Monday against Chowan. The game is scheduled to tip-off at 6:00 p.m.
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