The #5 Roadrunners came close, but narrowly lost to the relentless #17 William Carey (Miss.) Crusaders 78-75 on Saturday at Mashburn Arena.
THE FIRST HALF
Both teams were slow to warm up as they stayed close to even at 10-9 with14:25 left.
The Crusaders Ashton Woodson would find the back of the net, but would be matched immediately after by the Roadrunners
Mike Hardento keep the game razor thin at 19-18 with
8:18 left. William Carey begin to mount momentum as Troy Salvant would make a shot from three to give the Crusaders a 5-point lead at 27-22 with
4:22 left, but the Roadrunners would respond with a 6-0 run in the last minute of the half to gain the lead, 33-29 going into the break,
THE SECOND HALF
The Roadrunners would keep their lead with some key defensive stops to lead by 11 points at the midway point of the half at 53-42 with 10:32 left. The momentum looked to stay in the Roadrunners favor until a blitzing 12-1 run over the course of the next three minutes that was capped by a three from Ashton Woodson would see the Crusaders take the lead with 5:52 left. The shift would prove to be a key moment for the Crusaders as they would keep their momentum and build a 9-point lead at 71-62 with 2:04 left. The Roadrunners would begin to mount a comeback and narrowly shrink the gap to 3 points, but would run out of time as the Crusaders would win the game 78-75.
THE REST OF THE STORY
The Roadrunners fall to 21-4 overall, 13-4 in the SSAC, for the season with the loss. Dalton State had four players in double-figures for the game, and were led by Carnilious Simmons with 16 points and an impressive 24 rebounds. Having already set the single-game scoring record earlier in the season with 37 points against Martin Methodist, Simmons now passes Ladaris Green's 20 rebound game to become the single-game rebounding leader in school history. He was followed by Mike Harden with another solid showing of 15 points. Reed Dungan and Sayvon Wilson scored 12 and 11 points respectively.
The Crusaders improve to 20-5 overall, 14-3 in the SSAC, for the season with the win. William Carey also extends their winning streak to 6 games. William Carey had five players in double-figures for the game, and were led in scoring by Leo Garnett with 15 points. Ashton Woodson followed with 14 points, and Terrance Mujahid went for a double-double of 13 points and 14 rebounds. Jaylen Moore and Troy Salvant each scored 12 and 11 points respectively.
Dalton State's final home game of the year will be Monday, February 20, at7:30 p.m. when the #5 Roadrunners play host to Blue Mountain (Miss.) on Senior Night at Mashburn Arena.