LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN, Ga. - Covenant turned back LaGrange 76-67 in a USA South game Saturday in the Barnes PE Center. The Panthers (3-10, 2-4 USA South) dropped their second straight game. The West Division leading Scots stayed perfect in the conference at 5-0 and improved to 8-4 overall.
Coach Kendal Wallace
"Covenant is a very good basketball team. We had an excellent game plan going into the game and executed it for the most part. The part we didn't execute was giving up 36 points from the 3 point line and then only getting 12 points from the arc for us. We have got to do a better job with our perimeter offense and defense in order to win basketball games. As crazy as it sounds our team has good chemistry and is mentally in a good place. We are coming up short on 5-6 possessions a game which we hope to fix this week in practice. There is still a lot of season left."
How it Happened
The Scots led 13-6 five minutes into the game. Lincoln Anderson opened and finished an 8-0 LC run with baskets in the paint. Anderson's second basket gave the Panthers their first lead, 14-13.
The lead changed hands three times after Anderson's basket. Porter Law finished a fast break with a jumper in the lane to put LC ahead 18-16, with 10:55 left in the half.
Covenant outscored the Panthers 19-3 over the next six minutes to open up a 35-21 lead. Anderson put back a missed shot in the closing seconds to get the Panthers within 10, 41-31, at halftime.
The second half was a series of runs by each team. The Scots had their biggest lead of the game, 15 points, in the opening minutes of the half. The Panthers answered an 11-2 run. Anderson had a steal at the defensive end and Julian Cameron finished the fast break with a jumper in the paint to make it a six point game, 50-44, with 14 minutes left.
Henry Blair's steal and basket at the other end allowed LC to get within five points, 53-48. The Scots built a 12-point lead in a three-minute span. But the Panthers made one final run. Anderson assisted on Kyle Brown's basket, then scored after Ronald Youngblood's steal to cut the deficit in half, 63-57, with 5:26 showing. LC would get no closer than seven points the rest of the way.
By the Numbers
Covenant now leads the series 16-12. The Scots have won seven of the past eight meetings.
The Scots outscored LC 36-12 from 3-point range. The Panthers countered with a 42-28 advantage in the paint.
The Panthers held the Scots' leading scorer, Will Crumley, to 10 points. Crumley did have a double-double with a game-high 11 rebounds.
Panther Standouts
Anderson finished the game with a team-high 16 points and tied with Ronald Youngblood for team honors with five rebounds.
Cameron had 14 points, well under his conference-leading 23.2 points per game.
Youngblood had 12 points and three steals, while Kyle Brown had 10.
Up Next
The Panthers host Berea on Jan. 18 in a USA South game in Mariotti Gym. Tip-off is 2 p.m.
