Crusaders Hand Roadrunners 2nd Straight Loss

  • Saturday, January 19, 2019
  • Erik Simpson
It was a tough night for the Roadrunners as an early 16-4 first half run from the Crusaders would be the difference as #18 William Carey (Miss.) held on for a 98-85 win in SSAC play at Clinton Gym in Hattiesburg, Miss. on Saturday afternoon.

William Carey showed fresh legs early as they held the lead at 12-4 after a Cameron Douglas bucket. Another Douglas basket made the score 14-6 with 13:59 left in the half. Elijah Staley made his presence known with five straight points to help cut into the lead, but Carey continued to keep the intensity high.
 
A layup from Rodney Mallett extended the lead to 10 at 21-11 with 11:20 to go.
The Roadrunners answered right back as Kingston Frazier nailed a three on the next possession to cut the lead to seven. The next five minutes though belonged to the Crusaders. An 11-3 run capped by a Marcus McGee second chance put back made the score 32-17 with a little over six minutes left till halftime.
 
The Roadrunners continued to battle hard and tried to get back into the game. Frazier found Staley on the inside for two, then he did it on his own slashing to the hoop and hitting a floater in the lane. Staley ended the half with another bucket, but it would not be enough to make an impact as Carey out-scored the Roadrunners 14-10 over the final six plus minutes to carry a 46-27 lead into the break.
 
Sean Cranney collected a foul in the act of shooting to start the second half. He would go to the charity stripe and knock down all three of his chances. The Crusaders answered back with four straight points to stretch the lead to 20 at 50-30.
 
The Roadrunners aimed to get some momentum going and they would do just that when Cranney found Aaron Burress in the paint for two. A turnover from Adrian Williams on the next possession created a two-on-one advantage for Dalton State. Malik Pugh passed off to Raheem England who finished it off to cut the lead to 17 and force a timeout.
 
A Branden Sheppard jumper out of the TO put a stop to the Roadrunner momentum and kick started a 12-4 run from the Crusaders that saw them extend the lead to 25 at 68-43. The run did not deter the spirits of the Roadrunners. They answered back, going to a full court press and coupled with efficient offensive play went on a 16-4 run of their own to cut the lead to 13 at 72-59 with 8:13 on the clock.
 
Carey did not stay down for long as they figured out the press the Roadrunners implemented. They began to match Dalton State basket-for-basket then took advantage of missed shots from the Roadrunners as Brandon Crawford drilled consecutive treys from the same spot on the court to draw the lead back out to 19 at 83-64 with 6:05 left in the contest.
 
Dalton State kept trying to cut into the lead, but time began to become a factor. With every made field goal, the Crusaders matched. The Roadrunners got no closer than 13 as William Carey handed Dalton State their second consecutive loss, 98-85.
 
Dalton State falls to (10-8 overall, 5-5 SSAC) with the loss, while William Carey (Miss.) improves to (13-5, 9-1 SSAC) with the win. Dalton State had four players score in double-figures led once again by Elijah Staley with 30 points and four rebounds. Aaron Burress put in 12 points, while Malik Pugh and Sean Chislom had 11 points each in the losing effort. Pugh also led the team in rebounds with eight. Senior Sean Cranney had another tough night from the field going 0-5 with three points, but he distributed the ball well with 11 assists.
 
Five Crusaders scored in double-digits with Branden Sheppard and Brandon Crawford leading the way with 18 points each. Sheppard was active on the glass as well with eight boards. Adrian Williams had 11 points, with Rodney Mallett and Marques McGee recording 10 points each.
 
The Roadrunners shot an efficient 50.82 % (31-for-61) from the field, but William Carey was slightly better going (35-for-63) 55.56%. In a matchup that is usually decided on the boards, Dalton State came out on top 33-32.
 
The difference came from behind the arc and in transition where the Crusaders hit 10-of-20 from long distance and turned 18 Roadrunner turnovers into 18 points. In contrast, Dalton State went (5-of-18) from three-point range and only managed eight points off 15 Carey turnovers.
 
Dalton State will finish out their tough three-game road swing on Monday, January 21 when they travel to Pulaski, Tenn. to face Martin Methodist (Tenn.). Tip-Off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. (CT).
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