Central, SC - The Southern Wesleyan University Warriors picked up their first Conference Carolina's victory of the 2023-24 Season today with a victory over the Chowan Hawks at Tysinger Gymnasium.
Aaron Tims led the Warriors with 21 points, followed by
Che Smith with 14 points, and
Raevon Allen with 11 points.
Dyren Brown led the team with 11 rebounds, while Smith led with 3 assists, Allen led with 4 steals, and
Griffin Effenberger chipped in with a block. As a team, the Warriors shot 28-58 (48.3%) from the field, 9-19 (47.4%) from behind the arc, and 14-19 (73.7%) from the free throw line.
Game Vitals:
Southern Wesleyan University 79, Chowan University 77
Southern Wesleyan University (2-9, 1-2), Chowan University (5-5, 1-2)
Coach Hewitt says...
"Chowan is a great team. Really well coached and they play extremely hard so hats off to Coach Burke and his squad. We battled for 40 minutes tonight and fought tooth and nail for everything we got. Coach Stites challenged our team in the pregame that it would be a fist fight and we went blow to blow with a really talented team and came out on top. I'm really proud of our grit and determination and hopefully we can continue to improve and continue to come together as a team to achieve as much as we can. Looking forward to a very talented team in Limestone coming into Tysinger on Tuesday. Hopefully we will be ready. Go Warriors!"
How It Happened:
The Starting Lineup for the Warriors was
Che Smith,
Raevon Allen,
Griffin Effenberger,
Dyren Brown, and
Aaron Tims. Southern Wesleyan University scored on the first possession of the game, as
Che Smith hit a floater from the lane following an
Aaron Tims offensive rebound. They had a terrific start to the game, knocking down 3s on back-to-back possessions from Tims and
Griffin Effenberger to start on an 8-0 run. That would set the tone for the rest of the first half, as they knocked down six 3s in the period, which was the amount that they averaged per game coming into the night.
Jonathan Taylor knocked down one of the six at the 5:43 mark to make it a 29-17 game, the Warriors largest lead of the first half. Chowan quickly responded with a 9-0 run thanks to the play of freshman Damerius Summers, who led the Hawks with 19 points in the game. SWU would take 36-31 lead into the locker room, their first halftime lead in conference play this season.
However, Chowan was much improved to start the second half. They immediately began chipping into Southern Wesleyan's lead and took their first of the game 15:59 mark on a Cheick Traore layup. The Hawks lead for the next 15:49, but credit the Warriors for sticking around in the game and continuing to make life difficult for Chowan. Although the long-range shots were not falling like they were in the first half, the Warriors did a much better job of finishing around the rim.
Aaron Tims, in particular, had a massive half. He scored 15 of his 21 points in the period, consistently finishing with his left hand around the basket. However, his two biggest points came from the free throw line with just under three minutes to play to make it a two point game. RJ Wilson and
Marcus Long exchanged layups over the ensuing possessions, but it was Wilson who missed one of two shots from the stripe to just keep the door cracked for a late Warriors comeback.
Che Smith knocked down two free throws 40 seconds later, and Long's steal led to two more Smith free throws in a one-point game. Smith missed the first and made the second to tie the game at 76. Then, on the next possession, Chowan's Daylan Askew missed his second free throw and
Raevon Allen was fouled on the rebound attempt. Allen knocked down both free throws to tie and take the lead for Southern Wesleyan. Those two free throws, along with a steal from Allen on the final possession, would be enough to give the Warriors a massive home conference win.
What's Next:
The Warriors have a break in conference play over Christmas break. They will host Limestone on Tuesday, December 19th, followed by trips to Wofford and USC Aiken on the 29th and 30th.
