ROCKY MOUNT, NC (November 30, 2008)—In its first four games of the season, Hampden-Sydney has rarely been outplayed in a half of basketball. For the first 20 minutes of Sunday afternoon's tilt with undefeated North Carolina Wesleyan, that is exactly what the Tigers allowed the Bishops to do.
The 15-point first half lead that Hampden-Sydney (2-3) spotted the host Bishops proved too much to overcome in the end, as the Tigers fell just short in their comeback attempt and dropped a heart stopping 84-82 decision to North Carolina Wesleyan in the final game of the 2008 Southern Shootout.
North Carolina Wesleyan (6-0) outrebounded Hampden-Sydney 30-15 in the opening frame and rode junior point guard Trey Drake's 21 first half points to a 44-29 halftime advantage. Early on, the Tigers were unable to find the offensive rhythm that had resulted in 60-plus percent shooting over the past two games, and in addition to shooting just 33.3 percent for the half, Hampden-Sydney committed nine crucial turnovers and gave up ten offensive rebounds that led to 17 second-chance Bishop points.
Appearing down and out, however, the Tigers would make a valiant second half push.
After a Drake layup extended the Bishops' lead to 48-31 at the 18:57 mark, Hampden-Sydney's Matt Partsch (Roanoke, VA/Hidden Valley) began to assert himself offensively. Connecting from deep, from the foul line and in the lane, Partsch scored nine points over the next 7:04 to help the Tigers creep within 60-52 when Turner King (Roanoke, VA/Roanoke Catholic) canned a three with 11:53 remaining in the game.
North Carolina Wesleyan leading scorer Jarmel Arrington drilled two three-pointers to ignite an 11-4 Bishops' run over the next few minutes, as a Nick Tennell triple pushed the NCWC advantage back to 15 points, 71-56, at the 8:06 mark of the second half.
But Hampden-Sydney had one more run left in the tank, as the trio of King, Partsch and Shane Payne (Weston, FL/Sagemont) spurred a 20-8 run over the next 5:39 that culminated with a Payne dunk and Partsch three-pointer to bring the Tigers within 79-76 with 2:27 to play.
After the Bishops' Lamont Stokes went 1-for-2 from the foul line, the Tigers used a King backdoor layup and a Payne lay-in to tie the score at 80-all with 90 seconds remaining. But Stokes answered with a corner three that bounced off the iron, straight into the air and in to put the Bishops back in front to stay at 83-80 with 1:09 on the clock.
Two King free throws drew the Tigers within 84-82 with 39 seconds remaining. On the ensuing North Carolina Wesleyan possession, Drake missed the front end of his one-and-one, giving H-SC one last possession. The Tigers retained possession on a held ball, but on the resulting inbounds with six seconds to play, a charging call turned the ball back over to North Carolina Wesleyan, allowing the Bishops to stay unblemished.
After being held to seven first half points, King exploded for 20 in the second half and finished with a season-high 27. Partsch put together his second consecutive stellar performance with 14 points and three rebounds. Payne totaled nine points, four rebounds and four assists for Hampden-Sydney.
The Bishops' Drake led all scorers with 29 points on 11-of-17 from the field and 5-of-8 from three-point range. He also snared five rebounds and dished out five assists. Arrington tallied 16 points while do-it-all forward Alex Murray registered eight points, seven rebounds and five blocks for the Bishops.
Hampden-Sydney narrowed the rebounding gap after a tough first half, but North Carolina Wesleyan still out-caromed H-SC 38-29. The Bishops shot 54.8 percent from the field as opposed to the Tigers' 48.2 from the floor. The Tigers turned it over 18 times, but also forced 19 North Carolina Wesleyan giveaways.
The Tigers will be back in action on Wednesday, December 3 when they open ODAC play on the road at Roanoke College. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 pm.
