FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 12-19-03

Men's College Basketball: Eckerd 70, AASU 67
Lenoir-Rhyne 87, UNC Pembroke 53

SAVANNAH, Ga. – NCAA Tournament participants Eckerd College and Lenoir-Rhyne came away with victories in the first day of the 2003 AASU Men’s Basketball Christmas Classic at Alumni Arena on Friday evening. Eckerd snapped host Armstrong Atlantic State’s eight-game home winning streak with a 70-67 victory, while Lenoir-Rhyne blitzed UNC Pembroke, 87-53.

Eckerd (6-4) took a five-point lead at halftime over the Pirates (8-2), but AASU senior Daryl Williams hit nine of his first 10 shots from the floor after intermission to give the Pirates a 59-52 lead with 7:21 remaining in the contest. The Tritons then reeled off seven straight points to tie the game at 59-all, and held the Pirates to just 1-for-7 from the floor over the last four minutes of the game to take the three-point victory. Williams led all scorers with 31 points, while senior Jason Sanders added 12 points. Eckerd was led by Anthony Washington’s 20 points and Marcus Bryant’s 15 points – 13 of which came in the second half.

In the second game, Lenoir-Rhyne (6-2) unleashed a barrage of three-pointers in defeating the Braves (1-9). LRC hit 15 treys, tying a school record in the process, during the victory. UNC Pembroke could manage just 18 field goals total in the loss, turning the ball over 20 times. The Bears were led by Randy Mauldin, who tied his career high with 27 points and seven three-pointers made, while Tony Connelly added 15 points and a game-high seven assists. UNC Pembroke got 18 points from Travis Wallace on 8-of-10 shooting from the floor to lead the Braves.

The Classic concludes on Saturday with a 4:00 p.m. matchup between Eckerd and UNC Pembroke, while the host Pirates take on Lenoir-Rhyne at 6:00 p.m.

-Pirates-