BEREA, Ky. – The Berea College men's basketball team surrenders 45 points in the second half, falling 80-61 to Maryville College (Tenn.) on Wednesday night.
With the loss, the Mountaineers fall to 4-8 overall and 0-2 in conference play, while the Scots improve to 13-1 and 3-0 in conference action.
Freshmen
Trey Minter led the Mountaineers in scoring, recording 25 points while shooting five-for-seven from the free-throw line. Sophomore
Kevion Hudson totaled 18 points.
The Scots had the momentum early as they jumped out to a 5-0 lead. Berea quickly cut into the lead as Minter hit a pair of mid-range jump shots along with a score by Hudson and the Mountaineers held a one-point lead with 16:04 left in the half. Both sides continued to trade scores through most of the first half, however, Maryville found some of the momentum they started with as they took the lead 21-12 with 8:26 remaining in the first half.
Berea grabbed the lead as Minter and Hudson scored five and four points, respectively, to put the Mountaineers ahead. After a pair of layups by Minter and Hudson, Minter knocked down a three-pointer to keep the run going. After a stop on defense, Hudson hit a mid-range jump shot to give Berea a 23-21 lead with a little over six minutes left in the first half. Berea pushed its lead to as large as five points, but the Scots drew even at the end of the first half as the game was tied 35-35 heading into halftime.
Maryville took a seven-point lead to open the second half, outscoring Berea 7-1 in a little over three minutes into the final half. The Mountaineers pulled back to within one as following free throws from Minter freshmen
Jarel Montgomery scored a quick four points as Berea trailed 43-42. The Scots expanded the lead to five on a dunk by Felix Uadiale but the Mountaineers tied the game 47-47 as Minter hit a shot from beyond the arc and a layup.
The Scots expanded their lead to nine points, but the Mountaineers continued to fight, trimming the deficit to three as a three-pointer from Hudson started the Mountaineers' rally. Even though Berea continued to fight, their second-half battle fell short as the Mountaineers would eventually fall to Maryville 80-61.
The Berea College men's basketball team returns to action on Saturday, January 22 hosting Brevard College (N.C.). Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. at the Seabury Center.
