Dalton State Gets Big Road Win At Blue Mountain

Sunday, December 16, 2018
Erik Simpson

Dalton State got back to .500 on the season, overcoming a slim one point halftime deficit to defeat Blue Mountain (Miss.) 77-62 in Southern States Athletic Conference action in Blue Mountain, Miss. on Saturday evening.

It would be the Toppers jumping out quick on the back of Harrison Fancher and Lukas Durasas, who combined for the first eight Blue Mountain points of the contest. Trailing 8-2 just two minutes in, the Roadrunners would fight back, but Blue Mountain would not let up.

The Toppers would out score the Roadrunners 19-11 over the next 11 minutes to take a 14 point lead at 27-13 with 7:54 to play in the first half.

Dalton State would turn the intensity up over the next few minutes and by the 5:06 mark they would cut the Topper lead to four on the back of a 10-0 run that was capped by an Igor Stokic three-pointer. Two Durasas free throws along with a bucket by Brandon Williams would see the lead stretch back out to eight at 31-23. The Roadrunners, however, would close the half with a 9-2 run to cut the deficit to one at the break, 33-32.

It would not take long for the Roadrunners to grab their first lead of the ball game when the second half opened. After trading buckets, a Sean Cranney trey with 18:48 left would give Dalton State a 37-35 lead. Blue Mountain would answer right back with a three from Ludy Kayouloud to retake the lead, but the next bucket from the Roadrunners would ignite a fire from Dalton State. Raheem England, seeing his first action this season, would get a basket in the paint and kick start a 17-2 run that saw the Roadrunners take control.

A Jonah Simpson shot from deep with 12:37 to go would halt the run, but the damage would be done. Two Aaron Burress free throws at the 9:05 mark would see Dalton State stretch their lead out to 15 points at 64-49. Down the stretch the Roadrunners would match Blue Mountain basket-for-basket and stabilize the lead before growing it to as much as 17. In the end, Dalton State would finish out their conference road stretch at 2-2 and come away with a 77-62 victory.

Dalton State improves to (5-5 overall, 2-2 SSAC) with the win, while Blue Mountain falls to (6-3 overall, 0-3 SSAC) with the loss. Raheem England had a huge night in his return to the lineup with a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds. Randy Bell would lead all Dalton State scorers with 16 points on the evening, with Sean Cranney adding 14 points to go along with nine assists. Sean Chislom and Aaron Burress would collect 11 points each as the Roadrunners had five players score in double-figures. Freshman Igor Stokic would provide a nice spark in the middle coming off the bench with a career-high 10 rebounds.

Brandon Williams would lead Blue Mountain with 12 points and four rebounds, while Ludy Kayouloud added 10 points in the losing effort. After combining for the first eight Topper points, Lukas Durasas and Harrison Fancher would be shut down. The Roadrunner defense would hold the duo to just eight points in the final 38 minutes of play.

Dalton State would win the battle of the boards 43-29 and shoot a dazzling 62.5% (15-of-24) from the field in the second half compared to 31.25% (10-of-32) for Blue Mountain to pull away for the win.

The Roadrunners will look to start a winning streak when they head to Marietta for a non-conference bout with Life (Ga.) on Thursday, December 29. Tip-Off is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.