Dalton State got off to a great start and made it two wins for the Southern States Athletic Conference in the SSAC/Mid-South Challenge defeating #8 Pikeville (Ky.) 84-73 at Mashburn Arena on Friday night.
The game would be tight early on with both teams trading baskets. An Elijah Staley bucket in the paint at the 16:43 mark would kick start the Roadrunner offense as they drew out a six point lead at 13-7. Pikeville would fight back and cut the lead to one after a Da'Rell Domineck put back, but the Roadrunners would finally find their groove.
After the Domineck basket, Dalton State would go on a 10-0 run to take a 25-14 lead with 9:05 remaining in the half.
The Bears would try to chip away at the Roadrunner lead, but four points would be as close as they would come. Two Staley free throws would cap the half as Dalton State took a 39-33 lead into halftime.
The second period would become the technical foul bonanza with three double-technicals called on players, three for Pikeville and three for Dalton State, and one for each head coach. Dalton State would come out strong and build the lead to 10 at 50-40 four minutes into the half after a Kingston Frazier layup.
Both squads would trade baskets as Dalton State would continue to hold a steady lead. The lead would grow back to 10 at 54-44 after two Ty Pendley free throws, but Pikeville would follow it up with a 10-0 run sparked by a Jayvian Delacruz lay up to tie the game.
Pikeville would take a brief 59-58 lead after a Jovontae Carleton three-pointer, but the Roadrunners would go back on the attack. Sophomore Aaron Burress would cap a 7-0 spurt with a layup in the paint as the Roadrunners would take a 65-59 lead with 6:38 to go.
Dalton State would take control of the game from there. A thunderous jam from Staley with 2:05 left would would once again extend the lead to 10 at 77-67. Down the stretch, the Roadrunners would go to the charity stripe hit their free throws to close out an 84-73 victory.
#15 Dalton State improves to (2-1 overall) on the season, while #8 Pikeville (Ky.) drops to (5-1 overall). Elijah Staley and Sean Cranney would lead the way for the Roadrunners with 17 points each to lead all scorers. Staley added 10 rebounds for the double-double.
Sean Chislom also recorded a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Randy Bell and D'Anfernee Pugh would add 12 and 11 points respectively as the Roadrunners had five players score in double-figures.
Jayvian Delacruz led Pikeville with 15 points. Da'Rell Domineck added 13 points and six rebounds, while Jovontae Carleton notched 12 points in the losing effort.
In Game 1 of the day, (RV) Faulkner (Ala.) would erase a seven point halftime deficit and come from behind to defeat #16 Cumberlands (Ky.) 71-63. With the two wins today, the SSAC is looking to go a perfect 4-0 against the Mid-South Conference with two wins tomorrow.
#15 Dalton State will turn around and face another tough opponent, #16 Cumberlands (Ky.), tomorrow, November 10 in the final day of the SSAC/Mid-South Challenge at Mashburn Arena in Dalton. Tip-Off is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. or approximately 30 minutes following the conclusion of Game 1 featuring (RV) Faulkner (Ala.) and #8 Pikeville (Ky.).