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Dalton State College Athletics

Scoreboard

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MBB-Randy Bell
93
Winner Dalton State (GA.) DS 13-9, 8-6 SSAC
87
Faulkner University FLK 13-9, 6-8 SSAC
Winner
Dalton State (GA.) DS
13-9, 8-6 SSAC
93
Final
87
Faulkner University FLK
13-9, 6-8 SSAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Dalton State (GA.) DS 46 47 93
Faulkner University FLK 45 42 87

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Erik Simpson, Sports Informaiton Director

Roadrunners Hammer Down Late, Get Important Road Win At Faulkner


MONTGOMERY, Ala. - In a game that featured a combined 23 ties and lead changes, Dalton State took control late with a 16-8 spurt to come away with an important 93-87 win in Southern States Athletic Conference action at Tine Davis Gymnasium in Montgomery, Ala. on Thursday night.

THE FIRST HALF
Sean Cranney got the game moving with a three-pointer on the Roadrunners opening possession for a 3-0 lead. Milan Skundric answered back with a three and drew a foul on Sean Chislom in the process. Skundric missed the foul shot and the Roadrunners went on the offensive again. Cranney knocked down his second shot from distance to give the Roadrunners a three-point lead.
 
Aaron Burress and Raheem England got in on the act with field goals as Dalton State pulled out a seven-point lead at 14-7 after five minutes had expired in the half. The Roadrunners were efficient from the field early and continued that play through the mid-point of the first half. A three-pointer from Malik Pugh made the score 21-16 with 12:16 left until halftime.
 
Faulkner answered with a 6-0 to take their first lead of the night, 22-21. Both teams traded buckets and the lead several times over the next five minutes of action. The Roadrunners put together three consecutive solid possessions to gain a six-point lead at 32-26 with 7:13 on the clock.
 
The Eagles, not letting the Roadrunners take control, battled back to within two at 38-36 after an Adnan Halilovic bucket at the 4:34 mark. Dalton State held the narrow margin until Faulkner grabbed the lead back with 24 ticks on the clock.
 
The Roadrunners turned the ball over on the next possession, but a hurried attempt from three by Sean Edwards set DS up with the final shot. Malik Pugh got an open attempt at a trey, but it would clang off the iron. Luckily, Randy Bell was in the right place and pulled down the board. He reacted quickly, finding Luke Luna for a layup as the half ended with the Roadrunners on top, 46-45.
 
THE SECOND HALF
The back-and-forth affair continued in the second half. A Chislom free throw got the DS lead to two at 47-45. Faulkner came back with a Skundric basket to tie it up. A free throw from Burress and a lay in from Cranney built the lead back to three points for the Roadrunners at 50-47. The Eagles tied it up once more after a Rene Scott layup with 16:52 left.
 
The intense play over the next eight minutes saw the lead switch hands 10 times. With a 67-66 lead, Dalton State hit another gear. It started with two Cranney free throws to get the lead to three points. Another trey from Cranney built the lead out further. Chislom nailed a three ball of his own on an assist from Staley and Bell got a second chance basket off a Pugh miss. When the dust cleared, the Roadrunners held a nine-point lead at 83-74 with 2:33 remaining.
 
Faulkner would not go away easy. They cut the lead to six at 87-81 with just under a minute to go. Dalton State worked well as a unit to beat the press defense employed by the Eagles. It led to a lay up from Chislom as the Roadrunners got the lead to eight, but Faulkner still had a chance with 30 ticks on the clock as the Roadrunners struggled to close the game out from the charity stripe. In the end, they would do enough to get the job done as they walked off the court with a 93-87 win.
 
THE REST OF THE STORY
Dalton State improves to (13-9 overall, 8-6 SSAC) with the win, while Faulkner (Ala.) drops to (13-9 overall, 6-8 SSAC) with the loss. The Roadrunners had four players score in double-figures led by Sean Cranney with 24 points. He connected on 5-of-9 shots from distance on the night. Elijah Staley netted 19 points, while Malik Pugh and Aaron Burress had 14 and 13 points respectively. The leading rebounder on the night was Raheem England with seven, while also adding four points to the stat line.
 
The leading scorer for Faulkner was Milan Skundric with 25 points and six rebounds. He led a contingent of four Eagles in double-figures. Rene Scott added 19 points and five boards, while Adnan Halilovic (16) and Sean Edwards (12) also scored in double-digits.
 
The Roadrunners led most of the major statistical categories on the evening. They won the battle on the glass, 40-36, bench scoring, 32-11, second chance points, 17-13, and points off turnovers, 15-9. They held the advantage in points in the paint until three late Faulkner baskets shifted the advantage to the Eagles, 48-46.

DS shot an impressive 50% (36-of-72) from the field on the evening, but Faulkner was no slouch as they converted from the field at an almost equal clip of 49.3% (34-of-69). The largest lead of the night for the Roadrunners was 10 at 85-75 with 2:03 remaining in the second half. In contrast, Faulkner's largest lead was a mere three points at 26-23 with 9:50 left to play in the first half.
 
UP NEXT
Dalton State will travel back across the state line and head to Cochran for a matchup with inter-state rival Middle Georgia on Saturday, February 2. Tip-Off is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
 
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