Less than 24 hours after completing a 26-point comeback win, the Covenant men's basketball team had to lace the shoes up once again as it took on Toccoa Falls. The Scots didn't have a let down as they defeated the Screaming Eagles 94-84 to be crowned Coca-Cola Classic Champions, being the only team that finished 2-0 for the weekend.
A 3-pointer by Luuk Dusek capped off a 7-0 run to start the game for Covenant in the first 90 seconds. The lead reached 10 points at 16-6 before the first media timeout as Kaleb Lofton got a basket to go inside the paint. Midway through the half, the Screaming Eagles cut the lead to 23-17 after a quick 5-0 run. Another Duusek triple started off a 15-3 run for the Scots to put the score at 40-23. After Toccoa Falls cut the lead to 11 points, Ethan Parker buried a triple with 1:29 remaining to keep Covenant ahead 47-33.
Toccoa Falls scored the final five points of the half to go into the locker room down 11 points.
A 7-0 run ignited by a Fisher Mitchell 3-pointer put Covenant up 62-46 prior to the first media timeout of the second half. The Scots' lead reached 20 points at 70-50 as Pierce Smith scored inside the paint. With 10:07 remaining, Logan Patterson drilled a triple on the fast break as Covenant led 77-54. A pair of inside baskets from Toccoa Falls cut the Covenant lead to 81-65. Another triple from Patterson with 4:16 remaining ended any thought of a Toccoa Falls comeback as the score read 88-69. The Screaming Eagles ended the game on a 13-4 lead to make the final score look less lopsided.
Covenant moves to 17-4 all-time against Toccoa Falls. Covenant's leading scorer was Patterson who scored 16 points and grabbed six rebounds. Smith flirted with a triple-double posting 15 points, eight rebounds, and a career-high eight blocks. Donley, Lofton, and Duusek each scored 12 points for the Scots. Covenant shot 50% (34-68) from the field and 34.6% (9-26) from behind the 3-point line while Toccoa Falls was 40.5% (34-84) and 16.7% (3-18) in the same categories.
For the second day in a row, Covenant dominated the glass as it outrebounded Toccoa Falls 51-33.
Covenant has won three consecutive games. Covenant hosts Sewanee on Wednesday night at 6:30 p.m.