Dalton State Falls To William Carey In Overtime
Friday, February 9, 2018
- by Erik Simpson
Dalton State saw a 16-point first half lead evaporate in the second half in a 89-86 overtime loss to #17 William Carey (Miss.) at Clinton Gym in Hattiesburg, Miss. on Thursday night.
To begin the game, the Roadrunners would came out playing at a steady pace, but down the stretch of the 1st half they would show glimpses of excellence.
The first half dominance would start at the 14 minute mark, after a made 3 pointer by Isaiah Box to tie the game. Dalton State would then go on an 11-4 run with sights set to control the tempo of the game. The dominance would continue by the Roadrunners as they went into the half up 16, 48-32.
To begin the second half both teams would trade a lot of high percentage baskets, but the Crusaders would catch a surge of momentum and begin to play aggressive defense, forcing six Roadrunner turnovers and cutting the lead to single digits, 56-48.
The Roadrunners would push the lead back to double-digits, but William Carey would again cut the lead and tie the game up at 74-74 with 1:40 to go. The Crusaders would go up late by 2, but Reed Dungan had an opportunity to tie the game. He would miss, but Aaron Burress would capitalize on the 2nd chance opportunity and tie the game up, 76-76, and send it to OT.
The Crusaders went into overtime hungry, jumping out to a five point lead. Again the Roadrunners would fight back to tie the game with a smooth 3-point jumper by Alex Ho-on. Down the stretch in OT the Crusaders would go up two. Isaiah Box would miss a potential go ahead bucket as the Roadrunners would fall short tonight in a valiant effort, 89-86.
Dalton State falls to (19-5 overall, 11-2 SSAC) with the loss, while #17 William Carrey (Miss.) improves to (17-5 overall, 11-3 SSAC) with the win. Senior Carnilious Simmons led the Roadrunners with 19 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 steals, while senior Isaiah Box and freshman Aaron Burress combined for 34 points, 13 rebounds and 8 steals.
Jaylen Moore would lead all Crusaders with 19 points, with Maurice Stephens and Brandon Sheppard following him up combining for 25 points.
The #11-ranked Roadrunners will play Blue Mountain (Miss.) at Blue Mountain College on Saturday, February 10. Tip-Off is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.