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Dalton State College Athletics

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Men's Basketball-Varun Danak
80
Cumberlands (KY) CUMBERLA 9-4, 0-0
88
Winner Dalton State (GA) DALTON S 8-2, 3-0
Cumberlands (KY) CUMBERLA
9-4, 0-0
80
Final
88
Dalton State (GA) DALTON S
8-2, 3-0
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Cumberlands (KY) CUMBERLA 45 35 80
Dalton State (GA) DALTON S 40 48 88

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

Second Half Surge Leads To Upset Win Over #9 Cumberlands (Ky.)


DALTON, Ga. – Dalton State pulled out an early season statement win with a second-half surge to knock off #9 Cumberlands (Ky.) 88-80 at Bandy Gym in Dalton on Tuesday night.
 
THE FIRST HALF
  • Dalton State came out fired up for the match against a top-ranked team getting out to a 14-6 lead after a Matt Compass three-ball at the 15:49 mark.
  • Two Brady Bell three's and a Morrice Harry basket a little over a minute later and the game was tied at 14-14.
  • Cumberlands assumed the lead shortly after and held it until Antonio Lewis hit a trey for a 27-25 lead, but Matthew Cromer connected from distance on the next possession to give the Patriots a one-point lead with 9:03 left in the half.
  • The Cromer three keyed a 10-0 run that saw UC extend the lead to 7 points at 34-27 with just over 5 minutes to go.
  • DS cut the deficit to 2 points with just over a minute and a half left, but DJ Jones hit a three with just seconds remaining to carry the Patriots into the half with a 45-40 lead.
THE SECOND HALF
  • After some back-and-forth to begin the half, Qualen Pettus nailed a shot from distance to key a 9-0 run that gave the Roadrunners a 61-54 lead with 14:06 on the clock.
  • UC cut the lead to 2 points (61-59) with 12:01 left in regulation but DS continued to match with Compas, Lewis, and Omarion Smith leading the way.
  • Jones got into a rhythm and put the Patriots on his back with eight-straight points but Pettus did the same for the Roadrunners as DS came out of the exchange with a 73-72 lead.
  • Guard play was big down the stretch as Kawasiki Ricks and Kyoya Sasaki scored the next 6 points in the ballgame to extend the Roadrunner lead to 7 points at 79-72 with 3:48 remaining.
  • A huge three-pointer from Lewis at the 2:54 mark mixed with key defensive stops and free throws down the stretch sealed the upset as Dalton Statecame away with an 88-80 victory.
THE REST OF THE STORY:
Dalton State (Ga.) improves to (7-2 overall, 3-0 SSAC) with the win, while #9 Cumberlands (Ky.) falls to (9-3 overall) with the loss. Matt Compas led all scorers with 24 points. Qualen Pettus had a big second half that propelled him to a 20-point, 13-rebound double-double that included 4 assists and 3 steals.
 
Antonio Lewis added 17 points on 6-of-17 shooting from the field and had 3 assists. Varun Danak had 10 points and 7 boards in 18 minutes of play and was the last Roadrunner in double-figures.
 
DJ Jones carried the Patriots with 20 points and 4 rebounds. Anthony Johnson contributed 18 points and 7 rebounds but had 5 crucial turnovers. Matthew Cromer had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Brady Bell had 11 points and Robert Jonaitis had 10 points.

BY THE NUMBERS
The Birds dominated the paint, scoring 54 of their 88 points in the lane, and held the Patriots to 38. DS also took advantage of turnovers, scoring 22 points off Cumberland's giveaways.
 
The rebounding edge barely went to Dalton State at a 38-37 clip, while the defense did its job in the second half, holding UC to just 1 make from distance after allowing 5 in the first half.

UP NEXT
DS will have a brief break for finals and resume play on Friday, December 13 when they host Middle Georgia State in SSAC play. Tip-Off at Bandy Gym is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
 
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FIND NEWS AND FOLLOW THE BIRDS: News and updates from Dalton State's men's basketball team is posted on dsroadrunners.com and on X (@DStateBBall), Facebook (@DStateBasketball) and Instagram (dstatebball). Be sure to follow to keep pace with the Birds!
 
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