Late 2nd Half Surge Propels #19 Dalton State Past Bethel In SSAC Game Of The Week
Monday, January 13, 2020 - by Erik Simpson
Dalton State trailed for much of the second half, but hit key shots down the stretch to pull out an 85-84 win over (RV) Bethel (Tn.) in the SSAC Men's Basketball Game of the Week at Mashburn Arena on Saturday.
THE FIRST HALF
- Nine combined fouls in the first five minutes of play set the tone for the game.
Even with all the early stoppages in play, the Roadrunners held a 10-8 lead.
- Consecutive buckets from Randy Bell and Dauson Womack extended the lead to six points (14-8), but Bethel battled back.
- The Wildcats went on the attack just past the midway point with an 11-2 run to take a 29-20 lead.
- Dalton State would answer with a 12-2 run following a timeout to re-take the lead, 32-31, with 3:06 until halftime.
- Neither team could break away from the other as the half wound down with the squads matching one another basket-for-basket.
- Timothy Green hit the last bucket of the half with 17 ticks on the clock to give Dalton State a 39-37 halftime advantage.
THE SECOND HALF
- Bethel came out of the break and immediately took control nabbing the lead at the 17:59 mark.
- They continued to hold the advantage throughout the half with the Roadrunners not letting them get too far out in front.
- The largest lead of the half for the Cats grew to 10 points with 7:39 remaining after Javonte Ellis slashed through the lane for a bucket.
- Dalton State battled and finally broke through with three minutes remaining when C.J. Perry and Kevon Tucker hit back-to-back three-pointers to cut the deficit to one at 80-79.
- Still trailing by one-point (84-83), Sean Cranney went to the line with 17 seconds left and a chance to take the lead, hitting both shots.
- Bethel got a couple of good looks down low, but Dalton State corralled the rebound as the buzzer rang for the 85-84 win.
#19 Dalton State improves to (15-1 overall, 5-1 SSAC with the win, while (RV) Bethel (Tenn.) falls to (10-7 overall, 2-4 SSAC) with the loss. Three Roadrunners scored in double-figures led by Kevon Tucker with 20 points. Randy Bell added 17 and six boards, with Sean Cranney scoring 14 and five assists.
Bethel was in scoring by Javonte Ellis with 22 points and seven rebounds. Cayden Edmonson had 21, while Charles Cobb had 11.
As is normal, the Wildcats are tough to beat on the glass as they pulled a 33-25 rebounding advantage. What is more impressive though is the fact the Roadrunners won the paint, outscoring Bethel 36-28 down low.
Both teams were efficient from the field with Dalton State shooting 46.8 % (29-for-62) and Bethel hitting at a 44.6 % (25-for-56) clip. Until the Roadrunners made their move in the second period, the Wildcats were shooting 55% from the field. By the time the buzzer rang the percentage dropped by almost nine percentage points to 46.43%
Dalton State hits the hardwood again on Tuesday, January 14 when former Georgia Tech star and 15-year NBA veteran Kenny Anderson brings his Fisk (Tenn.) team to Dalton. Tip-Off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Mashburn Arena.