THE BASICS:
- Score: Georgian Court 73, Assumption 67
- Records: Georgian Court (1-4), Assumption (3-2)
- Location: Lakewood, N.J. (Wellness Center)
- The Lead: Assumption led by 35-33 at the half but came out slow in the second as Georgian Court went on a run to take the lead for good, and despite a late Hound run, they came away with a 73-67 victory on Tuesday evening in non-conference action.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Damien Rance (Melbourne, Australia / Pope John XXIII) scored back-to-back buckets to provide Assumption an early 4-2 lead, however, it was short lived. Georgian Court responded with a 15-2 run to grab a 17-6 advantage with 12:29 left in the period. The Hounds ended the run and consecutive threes from Chris Crespo (Smithtown, N.Y. / Smithtown West) trimmed it to 21-15 with 10:52 left.
- Another quick run by the Lions extended their lead to 26-18 and then 27-20 with 7:54 left. Rance scored on two straight possession to trim it to three, before Matthew Kelly (North Potomac, Md. / Quince Orchard) tied it up from beyond the arc at 5:47. Georgian Court took back the lead 31-30 with 4:16 left but the Hounds did go into the break with a 35-33 edge.
- The Lions scored the first six points of the second and eventually pushed their lead 48-37 at 14:47. Cal Connelly (Rochester, N.H. / Spaulding / Tilton) ended the drought with a shot from downtown and another triple four minutes later cut it to 55-48 midway through the period. Georgian Court answered and extended their lead to 61-48 with 8:48 left.
- Assumption pulled back within six on seven straight points from Michael Speight (Morningside, Md. / Wise / Canterbury), and Kelly made three free throws to trail just 63-58 with 4:17 remaining. The Hounds continued to cut into the lead, as threes by Kelly and Branislav Vujadinovic (Belgrade, Serbia / St. Joseph) trimmed it to just 67-64 with 1:31 remaining. Assumption missed on its next possession, but Vujadinovic connected on a triple with 24 seconds left to make it a 69-67 contest. However, the Lions made their free throws late to come away with the 67-73 win.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Assumption shot 43.6 percent overall and 13-for-33 from downtown, while Georgian Court made 47.2 percent of its field goal attempts and was 5 of 11 from beyond the arc. The Lions also went 18-for-20 from the free throw line and held a 34-22 rebounding edge.
- Connelly led the offense with a career-high 16 points, including four threes, to go with five rebounds, two steals and two blocks. Kelly came through with 14 points and four assists, while Speight had 11 points and three rebounds off the bench. Rance was also in double figures with ten points and four rebounds.
- Matt Ringel led Georgian Court with 20 points and eight rebounds, while Caleb Bowser added 13 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
UP NEXT:
- Assumption returns to action on Sunday when the team hosts NYIT at 3:30 p.m.
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