Central, SC - The Southern Wesleyan University Warriors were victorious over the Clinton College Golden Bears on Thursday.

RJ Bell and Reco Hallmon led the Warriors in scoring with 16 points each, followed by Christopher Osobaye with 14 and Eric Hackett with 13. Jamarras McCray had a team-high 10 rebounds while Che Smith and Hallmon each had 3 assists. As a team, SWU shot 33-69 (47.8%) from the field, 8-21 (38.1%) from three, and 12-23 (52.2%) from the free-throw line. 


Game Vitals:

Final: Southern Wesleyan University 86, Clinton College 83

Records: Southern Wesleyan University (7-13), Clinton College (9-7)


How It Happened: 

The first five on the floor for Coach Stites' crew were Che Smith, RJ Bell, Reco Hallmon, Christopher Osobaye, and Aaron Tims. They scored on their first possession, as Smith found Tims who finished in the paint. Osobaye also had a quick bucket, as the Warriors established an early presence in the paint. After the two teams traded buckets for much of the early part of the game, Southern Wesleyan flipped a four-point deficit into a four-point lead thanks to a run capped by an Osobaye score at the 9:23 mark. Then, after Eric Hackett scored consecutive buckets, the team went over 4:00 without a score as Clinton College retook and built onto their lead. The run and drought were ended at the halftime buzzer, as Smith's half-court heave fell to make it a 41-35 game. 

SWU had a much better shooting second half, both from the three-point line and the free-throw line. They went 5-10 from long range and 10-13 from the charity stripe, both of which ended up being key down the stretch. Alex Tavares was important off the bench again, putting up five points in a minute to trim the Golden Bear lead. Bell knocked down two free throws with the clock stopped at 8:03 to narrow the margin to 1, but Clinton scored 10 straight to regain a comfortable lead. However, the Warriors were not prepared to back down on their home court. A Hallmon layup proceeded back-to-back threes from Bell who got hot in the second half. A second-chance score from Osbaye tied the game with 0:52 remaining, then Eric Hackett broke the deadlock with a 1-2 trip to the line seven seconds later. After Smith and Bell each went 2-2 from the stripe, Bell, the former Golden Bear, blocked Jordan Snipes Campbell's potential game-tying three and then tipped Jordan Maxwell's inbound pass to run out the clock and seal the win for Southern Wesleyan. 


What's Next: 

The Warriors host Carolina Christian College for the second time this season on Friday, January 31st, followed by a matchup with Converse University in Central on Wednesday, January 5th.