HAMPDEN-SYDNEY, VA (December 3, 2007)�Hampden-Sydney's basketball team scored 50 points in the second half to earn a 78-70 victory over Averett University on Monday night at S. Douglas Fleet Gymnasium. The Tigers trailed Averett by four points at the half, but Hampden-Sydney shot 60.0 percent from the field and 64.3 percent from behind-the-arc, making 9-of-14 attempts from three-point range, to take the 78-70 victory. Hampden-Sydney was led by senior guard Drew Prehmus (Atlanta, GA/Wesleyan School) who recorded a double-double with 29 points and 11 rebounds. With the win, Hampden-Sydney improves to 2-1 on the season, while the loss drops Averett to 2-3 overall.
After trading baskets with Averett in the first three minutes of the game, Hampden-Sydney took an 11-5 lead on a Troy Kaase (Roanoke, VA/Cave Spring) two-handed slam at the 15:45 mark. Averett then went on a 7-2 run to cut the lead to one-point, 13-12, but were never able to take the lead. The Tigers increased their lead to five points, 21-16, with 6:22 remaining until halftime, but Averett went on a 16-7 run over the final six minutes to take a 32-28 lead at the half.
In the opening portion of the second half, Hampden-Sydney scored seven unanswered points to build a three-point advantage, 35-32, at the 18:02 mark. The Tigers increased their lead to six points on a Kaase lay-up and took a seven-point lead, 45-38, on a three-pointer from freshman Paul Matthews (Greenburg, PA/Greenburg Salem) with 14:42 left to play. The Cougars answered with a 12-0 run, taking a 50-45 lead on a Jonathan Rumley three-pointer. With the game tied, 54-54, Hampden-Sydney went on a 17-3 run over a four minute span to build a 71-57 advantage with just five minutes remaining. Averett would be able to cut the lead to six points, 75-69, with 44 seconds remaining, but that would be as close as they would get as the Tigers went on for the 78-70 win.
Hampden-Sydney had three players score in double figures and was led by Drew Prehmus with 29 points, while Kaase finished with a double-double with 16 points and ten rebounds. Sophomore guard Turner King (Roanoke, VA/Roanoke Catholic) added 13 points, andByron Lawton (High Point, NC/Wesleyan Academy) dished out a game and career-high 11 assists. Averett was led by Brandon Malone who scored 18 points, while Jonathan Rumley added 14 points and four steals.
The Tigers shot 48.4 (30-of-62) percent from the field, including 40.7 (11-of-27) percent from behind-the-arc and 77.8 (7-of-9) percent from the charity stripe, while Averett ended up at 39.4 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from three-point range. The Tigers out-rebounded the Cougars by a margin of six, 42-36.
The Tigers return to action at home on Saturday, December 29, at 2:00 pm against SUNY - Old Westbury in the opening round of the 2007 Weenie Miller/Holiday Hoops Tournament at S. Douglas Fleet Gymnasium. The second game will feature Mississippi College and Greensboro College and is scheduled to start at 4:00 pm. Come out and support the Tigers! Fans can also catch all the exciting hardwood action on WFLO 95.7 FM or www.hsc.edu.
