Motlow College Athletic News

Bucks fall to Jackson State in final seconds

February 27, 2012

The Motlow Bucks stormed from seven points down to take a one-point lead with three minutes to play, only to see Jackson State connect on 18-19 second half free throws and sneak out of Copperweld Arena with a 75-73 win on Saturday.

The loss leaves the Bucks (15-10, 9-9) as either the fifth or sixth seed heading into the TCCAA/Region VII Tournament next week, which will be played at Jackson State's home court in Jackson. Brackets will be released this week by the TCCAA conference office.

Saturday's contest, played in front of a large crowd on a day when the Bucks' seven sophomores were recognized for their significant contributions as students and as athletes, was a classic back-and-forth affair with the lead changing hands consistently throughout the afternoon.

The Generals led 12-9 after four minutes and 24-21 after 11 minutes. Motlow's Darryl Bond converted an old-fashioned three-point play to tie the score at 24 with 8:45 to play in the first half. The Bucks biggest lead came at 35-32 when Rashad Davis nailed a three pointer, one of three on the day for Davis, with one minutes left to play in the first half.

The visitors came right back though and took a 39-35 lead into the intermission. After the break Motlow tied the score at 40-40 90 seconds into the second half before falling behind 48-41 with 15 minutes left to play.

Again the Bucks fought back to grab a 54-53 lead with 11 minutes left to play, but a minute later the visitors again led by three at 61-58. Motlow's Bryan Thomas converted a three-point play to give Motlow its final lead at 71-70 before the Generals foul-line parade proved too much for the home team to overcome.

Every Motlow player scored during the contest, led by a pair of freshmen as J.C. Bonny scored 12 and Sean Gardner had 11. Davis and Chris Jordan each had nine points, while Derek Triplett added seven. Jordan and Gardner pulled down six rebound each, with Gardner also adding three assists.

Jackson State connected on 26-32 free throws during the game, while the home team hit 18-24 attempts. The visitors were led by Jeremy Purvis with 21 points, including four three-pointers and Davell Lloyd with 14 points. Johnny Williams scored 12 points and had 10 rebounds.

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