Central, SC - The Southern Wesleyan Warriors picked up a conference victory on Saturday Afternoon by outlasting the visiting Erskine Flying Fleet.

The Warriors were led in scoring by Griffin Effenberger with 17 but Eric Hackett (14), Che Smith (13), and Jonathan Taylor (12) all reached double figures as well. Reco Hallmon led the team with 9 rebounds and his 5 assists were matched only by Taylor. The 3-point shooting made the difference for Southern Wesleyan today, hitting 18 of their 35 attempts (51.4%). They also shot 27-54 (50%) overall from the field and 14-20 (70%) from the free-throw line. 



Game Vitals:

Final: Southern Wesleyan 86, Erskine 62

Records: Southern Wesleyan (3-14, 2-5), (Erskine 3-10, 0-6)



How It Happened:

Warrior Guard Che Smith returned to the team after missing the Converse game with a concussion. Freshman Jonathan Taylor stayed in the starting lineup and he was joined by Smith, Griffin Effenberger, Reco Hallmon, and Aaron Tims. Each team missed a three on their opening possession of the game, and then Jaylen Prioleau hit a mid-range jump shot to open the scoring. After missing their first three attempts of the game, the Warriors caught fire from behind the arc making 10 of their next 13 attempts and building a large lead. They led by as many as 24 in the opening period, holding Erskine to just 25 points, six turnovers, and 31% shooting from the field. The Warriors had some offensive struggles at the end of the half, finishing it with a 4:00 scoring drought. Despite that, they still took an 18-point lead to the locker room, their largest of the season so far. 

SWU opened the second half similar to how they did the first: on fire from behind the arc. They hit their first four, the fourth coming from Jonathan Taylor at the 12:30 mark to make it a 61-36 game. Taylor, who has been steadily improving over the course of the season, flashed again today. He has been their most consistent freshman so far this season and had 12 points and five assists in today's win. Griffin Effenberger also had a monster game for SWU. He hit a season-high five 3's on 10 attempts to give him a game-high 17 points. Raevon Allen had seven points off the bench with two very athletic finishes in the second half. Overall, it was a very impressive performance for Southern Wesleyan - one they will look to build on for the rest of their season. They picked up their second conference win but remain in 4th place in the Conference Carolinas Southwest Division. 



What's Next: 

The Warriors continue a favorable home stand as they take on King University who are yet to win a conference game this season. After that, they take on KJ Jones and the Emmanuel Lions on Saturday, January 20th.