VIRGINIA BEACH, VA (January 16, 2008)�Hampden-Sydney's basketball team dropped to 8-4 overall and 2-3 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference as the Tigers fell to Virginia Wesleyan, 73-58, at the Batten Center on Wednesday night. Virginia Wesleyan's pressure defense forced the Tigers to commit 24 turnovers to just eight assists in the loss. Hampden-Sydney was led by sophomore guard Turner King (Roanoke, VA/Roanoke Catholic) with 22 points on 3-of-4 shooting from behind-the-arc. With the win, Virginia Wesleyan improves to 10-3 on the season and 4-2 in the ODAC.
Virginia Wesleyan opened the game with a 6-0 run and increased their lead to seven , 13-6, at the 14:52 mark on a pair of free throws by Tonton Balenga. The Tigers would cut the lead to four on a three-point play by Hakeem Croom (Harlem, NY/Fishburne Military Academy). Over the next six minutes, Virginia Wesleyan went on a 16-4 run to build a 29-13 advantage. Over the final 6:03 in the first half, the Tigers and Marlins would trade baskets, giving Virginia Wesleyan a 39-25 halftime lead.
Just three minutes into the second half, Virginia Wesleyan would build their biggest lead of the night , 52-31, on a three-pointer by Balenga. The Tigers would cut the lead to 13 points, 58-45, on a pair of baskets by sophomore forward Karlis Trops (Riga, Latvia/Charlotte Latin) and a jumper by Turner King. The Marlins took an 18-point lead, 65-47, but the Tigers answered with a 10-2 run to cut the lead to ten points, 67-57, with just 2:25 left to play. Over the final two minutes, the Marlins made their free throws to earn the 73-58 win.
Hampden-Sydney had three players score in double-figures, led by King with 22 points, whileTroy Kaase (Roanoke, VA/Cave Spring) added 14 points and seven rebounds. Also scoring in double-figures for Hampden-Sydney was Karlis Trops as he finished with a double-double with ten points and 12 rebounds. Virginia Wesleyan was led by Tyler Fantin who scored 21 points and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds, while Norman Hassell added 16 points. Tonton Balenga finished with 14 points..
The Tigers shot 40.0 (18-of-45) percent from the field, including 33.3 (4-of-12) percent from behind-the-arc, and 75.0 (18-of-24) percent from the charity stripe. Virginia Wesleyan finished the game at 45.6 percent from the field and just 23.8 percent from three-point range. The Marlins out-rebounded the Tigers, 33-32.
The Tigers return to action at home on Saturday, January 19, at 2:00 pm against Randolph-Macon College at S. Douglas Fleet Gymnasium. Fans can purchase tickets by calling the Athletic office at (434) 223-6151. Doors at the lower entrance of the Gym will open at 12:30 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.
