NGU basketball pulls out dramatic wins with women’s comeback and OT, men’s buzzer beater
Posted by The Skyliner on February 11th, 2009Cory Guinn
Staff Writer
The North Greenville women took on a strong Southern Wesleyan team on Feb. 3 in Hayes Gymnasium. Karly Stache, freshman undecided, and Nikki Wood, junior psychology, ignited a furious second half rally that came up short as NGU came up short against SWU 81-76.
Stache led the offense finishing with five three-pointers and 19 points. Wood followed up with 17 points and five assists while Mindy Greenstone, senior early childhood education, scored 16 points, pulled down six rebounds and blocked two shots.
“We’re banking on going to Regionals in Florida in a few weeks, and we needed to show we deserve to go,” Greenstone said of the team’s push for the playoffs. “We did not come out with the win, but we never gave up and I think that is one factor that shows our team has the heart to play.”
On Feb. 5, the Lady Crusaders took on Reinhardt College in a game that looked more like a three-point shootout. NGU made 7-14 three-pointers in the game while RC knocked down 8-15 from beyond the arc. North Greenville’s poor second half shooting led to a defeat at the hands of Reinhardt 74-62 in Waleska, Ga.
Christina Carlis, freshman undecided, led NGU with 14 points and six rebounds in the game. Whitney Smith, junior accounting, followed up with 13 points and six rebounds while center Amanda Milner, senior psychology, came off the bench to score 12 points and grab nine rebounds while still recovering from a shoulder injury.
The Lady Crusaders (11-12) overcame a 17-point deficit at halftime of their game on Feb. 7 against Morris College to come away with an overtime win. Wood led the comeback scoring 24 points in the game, including nine in the overtime period to propel North Greenville to a 89-76 victory.
Stache continued to shoot well and finished with 19 points. Carlis scored 11 points in the game while Erin Gray, freshman undecided, came off the bench to score 10 points. Milner had a solid game finishing with eight points, nine rebounds, and two blocks.
The Crusader men also played against Southern Wesleyan on Feb. 3 in an exciting down to the wire game that ended on a layup by center Paul Harrison, freshman undecided, at the last second. NGU allowed SWU to pull close at the end of the game but put it away with Harrison’s shot 80-79.
“The ball was actually tipped,” head coach Chad Lister said of the clutch shot. “That helped us because (Harrison) was able to get a handle on the hard pass and hit the layup.”
Kyler Vitko, junior sport management, led the Crusaders with 25 points, including 18 in the first half. Harrison chipped in 20 points and 10 rebounds and forward Zach Babbitt, sophomore business administration, scored 20 points.
“We always make it a point to establish ourselves in the paint;” Harrison said of NGU’s dominance inside. “That’s where our strength is and they just gave it to us.”
The North Greenville men traveled to Salisbury, NC on Feb. 5 in hopes of carrying their momentum into a game against Livingstone College. The Blue Bears used hot shooting over a five-minute stretch in the second half to pull away and down the Crusaders 86-78.
“Our kids really battled,” Lister said of his teams effort and determination. “We had really good defensive execution most of the game, but that five minute gap really cost us because they scored some easy baskets and had some good looks at the basket.”
Leading the Crusaders on offense once again was Harrison who had his second straight double-double with 20 points and 14 rebounds. Vitko finished the game with 16 points and guard Tyler Mains, sophomore accounting, followed up with 12 points on the night.
Paul Harrison continued his dominance inside for North Greenville (8-12) against Morris College on Feb. 7 in Hayes Gymnasium. Harrison set the school record for field-goal percentage in a game shooting 15 of 17 from the floor (88.2%) and finishing with 35 points and 11 rebounds to lead NGU to a close 93-91 win over Morris.
Vitko backed Harrison with 16 points and eight rebounds and Jonathan Bozymowski, freshman undecided, had a big night with 15 points, six rebounds, and four assists. Kyle Booher, sophomore broadcast media, scored eight points off the bench including a clutch free throw with 37 seconds left in the game to seal the win for the Crusaders.
“You have to give our guys credit,” Lister said of the tough game. “Jonathan Bozymowski stepped up big tonight and (Harrison) did some big things down on the block. We just hung tough in the end and that wins games.”
The Lady Crusaders took on King College Monday night in Hayes Gymnasium while their next game will be on Feb. 11 against Brevard College in Brevard, NC at 6 p.m. The men hosted Belmont Abbey at home on Monday and play their next game on Feb. 11 against Brevard College at 8 p.m.