Southern Conference Hoops

Weekly Recap (12/8 – 12/14)

Hey everyone! Didn’t manage to post any during the week unfortunately because of life being busy, but I’ll try to catch up on it this week with a spotlight or two on some stand-outs over the past week. Hope you’re all doing well, and getting ready for holiday basketball hoops over the next few weeks!!

1. East Tennessee State (8-3). Only one game this week for ETSU but despite a loss, they are still on top of the SoCon for another week. In a road game at Austin Peay they trailed all game, only to claw back and close the gap, eventually tying the game in the last few minutes but ultimately falling 76-75. The Buccs were led this week by Taylor who put up 19. Blake Barkley and Cam Morris also added 12 a piece. 
2. Mercer (7-3). Games are sparse in December, and the Bears also only had one this week, unfortunately falling on the road by 7 to Clemson. Baraka Okojie jumped off the page for Mercer in the game, scoring 20 and dishing out 5 assists. He continues to lead the team in scoring and assists. Zaire Williams added 15 in the close effort, and for the third straight game had 3 steals. 
3. Furman (7-4).  One game, one win for the Paladins, who are now undefeated in December. A trouncing of Bob Jones 105-57 at home, 12 guys saw minutes, and 5 scored in double figures. Cooper Bowser was hot from the field shooting 11-14 on his way to 24 points to go along with 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Senior guard Tom House had 16 off the bench, hitting 4 threes. 
4. Wofford (6-4). Rest week for Wofford, back at it this week with two games. 
5. Chattanooga (5-6). At the start of the week, Chattanooga got a nice warm up win against Oakwood, 103-46. Jordan Frison led the way for the Mocs with 20, and senior transfer guard Brennan Watkins put in 18 off the bench including going 5-8 from three. In a much bigger test on Saturday, Chattanooga went into Auburn and played a tough top 25 Tigers squad, keeping it close well into the second half, but ultimately falling short 92-78. Frison continued his hot streak with another 20 piece, his high against DI opponents. Teddy Washington Jr played 32 minutes off the bench, putting up a season high 16 points. 
6. Samford (5-6). Rest week for Samford, two non-DI games this week. 
7. VMI (5-7). Big win before a big break for VMI this week. Hosting Loyola-Maryland, VMI took the lead in the first five minutes and never looked back, winning 86-70. Four players put up double figures, but Linus Holmstrom led everyone with 23 points, knocking down 7-11 from beyond the arc. TJ Johnson bounced back after a few poor shooting nights to add 17, just below his average for the season. Additionally, junior guard Tan Yildizoglu shot 6-10, helping out with 14 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists. 
8. Western Carolina (4-6). In one game of action, WCU had a tough run against Virginia Tech, falling 96-74 on the road. Marcus Kell continues to put up buckets, scoring 21 on 7-12 from the field. Off the bench, Justin Johnson had his season high with 16. 
9. The Citadel (3-8). To start the week, the Bulldogs had an easy win against Southern Wesleyan by 25 at home. 16 players saw court action and five managed to score in double figures. Eze Wali had a game high 17. Over the weekend The Citadel traveled to South Carolina, losing to a tough SEC squad 71-55. Junior guard Carter Kingsbury, a transfer from Iowa, led the way with 18, his high for the season. 
10. UNCG (3-8). A game on Friday against William Peace, Greensboro had no trouble and ended up with a 28 point victory. Four starters scored 11+ and Neely continues his run leading the scoring for the Spartans, knocking in 11-17 for 24 points and snagging 11 rebounds.