BEREA, Ky. - LaGrange out lasted Berea 87-83 on Sunday to finish a perfect 2-0 weekend road trip. The Panthers are now 8-2 in the USA South and 13-10 overall.
LC, coming off a 101-98 overtime win Saturday at No. 11 Maryville, stayed a half-game back of Covenant for the second seed in the USA South West division. The Panthers host Huntingdon on Wednesday and close out the regular season next Saturday at Brevard.
Forward Kyle Brown had his second straight double-double for the Panthers. Brown had a team-high 21 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Bershard Edwards had 18 points, Micah Paulk 13, and Zac Hill 10. Berea's Trey Minter led all scorers with 30 points.
The Panthers were 23-of-27 at the free throw line, compared to Berea being 11-of-14. LC dominated the rebounding with a 46-27 advantage, including 20-5 on the offensive boards.
The game was tied 11 times and there was 15 lead changes. The Panthers largest lead of six points came with 14 seconds left in the game. Berea had a seven point lead in the first half.
The Mountaineers led 48-41 with four minutes left in the first half. The Panthers scored the final seven points of the half to tie the game. Hill completed a three-point lead with 40 seconds left to get the Panthers within two, 48-46. Brown scored inside tying the game at 48 at the break.
In the second half, the lead swapped back and forth. Edwards took over for LC in the final two minutes, scoring 11 of the Panthers' final 13 points. He hit his only 3-pointer in the game with 1:29 left to put the Panthers ahead to stay, 79-77. Edwards kept Berea at bay by hitting six straight free throws in the final minute.
The Panthers have now won five straight against the Mountaineers and lead the series 9-2. LC won 85-66 in Mariotti Gym on Jan. 29.
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