SAVANNAH, Ga. – The Armstrong Atlantic State erased a 16-point second-half deficit to upend Lenoir-Rhyne, 71-68, to bring the 2006 Chatham Orthopedics Holiday Classic to a close on Saturday evening at Alumni Arena.FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 12-16-06
2006 Chatham Orthopedics Holiday Classic Day Two Recap
SAVANNAH, Ga. – The Armstrong Atlantic State erased a 16-point second-half deficit to upend Lenoir-Rhyne, 71-68, to bring the 2006 Chatham Orthopedics Holiday Classic to a close on Saturday evening at Alumni Arena.
The host Pirates (7-1) fell behind a hot-shooting Lenoir-Rhyne squad early as the Bears (5-3) hit 58 percent from the floor in opening up a 37-22 halftime lead. Lenoir-Rhyne kept that lead in double figures for the first part of the second half, but AASU started to climb back into the game midway through the half when a 15-3 run brought the Pirates to within two, 56-54, with 7:32 left. AASU took its first lead of the second half on Franchot Brown’s offensive rebound and layup with 2:31 left.
Trailing by three points, 69-66, Lenoir-Rhyne had a chance to tie when Reggie Bratton made a layup with 4.4 seconds left and was fouled, sending him to the line to try and tie the score at 69. Bratton missed the free throw, and AASU’s Patrick Sanou grabbed the rebound and made two free throws. Bratton had a chance for a tying three-pointer, but it hit off the front rim, giving the Pirates the win. Jamaal Galloway led the Pirates with 16 points – 14 in the second half – while Tory Harris chipped in 14 points. Lenoir-Rhyne was led by Bratton’s 16 points and Tyler Boardman’s 13 points.
On the women’s side, Fayetteville State shot a blistering 52 percent from the floor and forced 33 Armstrong Atlantic State turnovers in taking an 87-74 win over the Lady Pirates. Despite an early 11-2 advantage to begin the game, AASU fell behind by eight at halftime, 43-35. The Lady Pirates cut the lead to five on two different occasions in the second half, but hot shooting by the Broncos (5-3) kept the game out of reach. Shayla Roberts led all scorers for Fayetteville State with 19 points, while Jamara McMillan added 18 points – and both players were named to the All-Tournament team. AASU (5-4) was led by All-Tournament selection Kaneetha Gordon’s 15 points and 12 rebounds, while Jasmine Herron joined Gordon on the team with her 11 points.
The first men’s game of the day saw No. 25 Eckerd rebound from its first loss of the season to take out Francis Marion, 80-66. The Tritons (9-1) hit nearly 55 percent from the floor and got point production from 12 different players – led by Andre King-Holland’s 15 points and Matt Centaus’ 13 points. Francis Marion (3-6) was led by Dominic Bishop’s 17 points off the bench.
In the first women’s game, Columbus State made it a perfect 2-0 in the Classic with a 74-56 win over Lander. The Lady Cougars (6-3) got 16 points and 10 rebounds from Monica Sicka and 14 points and 12 rebounds from Classic MVP Cherwonna Walker in the victory. Lander was led by All-Tournament selection Tiara Good’s 17 points.
AASU returns to action on the women’s side on Tuesday as the Lady Pirates host Florida Tech at 2:00 p.m. at Alumni Arena. The men are next in action on Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. at Florida Southern.
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