Pfeiffer Men's Basketball Drops USA South Opener to Berea, 100-94

Misenheimer, N.C. (Dec. 17, 2019) – The Pfeiffer University Falcons hit 16 three-pointers and got a career-high 31 points from junior Jamaal David but it was not enough as Berea College took a 100-94 USA South win at Merner Gym on Tuesday afternoon.

David, from Clinton, Md., finished shooting 9-of-16 from the field with five three-pointers. He also brought down a career-high 16 rebounds.  Teammate Josiah Avington (Fredericksburg, Va.) also had a great afternoon, as he had 20 points while also nailing five three-pointers.  Craig Sabb (Goose Creek, S.C.) rounded out the Falcons' double-digit efforts with 18 points.

The game was tight throughout, with neither team building a lead larger as eight points.  In the early stages, Pfeiffer took their largest lead of the game at 13-8 following a
Jerome Savoy (Waldorf, Md.) jumper.  Berea would then build a five-point cushion (25-20) at the 12:00 mark.  That lead was short-lived as Pfeiffer cut it to two on a one-handed dunk from David that made it 29-27.  David would then hit back-to-back three-pointers to put Pfeiffer up 33-29.

The two teams then started trading baskets, until the Mountaineers went ahead 50-45 on a pair of Dakota Mays free throws with 13 seconds before halftime.  Savoy would then get fouled with 0.4 seconds on the clock and hit a free throw to provide the 50-46 Berea lead at halftime.

The second half mirrored the first, with Berea taking the 59-53 lead after Terrell Carter scored.  Pfeiffer would rally to take the 60-59 lead.  Berea would go on to boost their lead to 72-65, but Pfeiffer would score seven straight again, to tie it at 72-72.  Berea then climbed on top by an 86-78 margin with 2:49 left.  Pfeiffer then methodically cut into that lead thanks to a
Tyjarek Simmons (Roanoke Rapids, N.C.) three-pointer and a basket from Sabb, making it 86-83 with 2:10 remaining.

The Falcon deficit was 93-86 with 41 seconds left.  Savoy knocked down a three-pointer with 38 seconds to go to trim the lead to 93-89.  Following a Berea free throw, Pfeiffer made it 94-91 with another Sabb basket with 24 seconds left.  The drama continued after two Berea free throws pushed the lead back to 96-91.  Sabb then drilled an off-balance three-pointer from the left side with 19 seconds left to pull the score to 96-94, but that would be the closest Pfeiffer would get, as Berea hit a pair of free throws and got a breakaway layup at the buzzer to provide the 100-94 final.

As a team, Berea shot 53.1% (34-of-64) from the field, 36.8% (7-of-19( and an efficient 86.2% (25-of-29) from the free throw line.  The Mountaineers got a team-best 23 points and 15 rebounds from Torell Carter.  Terique Miller and Kevion Hudson each scored 22 points while Isaac Caudill finished with 11 for Berea.  The Mountaineers improve to 5-3 overall and 1-1 in USA South play with the win.

Pfeiffer, which falls to 5-4 overall and 0-1 in the USA South, shot 36.9% (31-of-84) from the field and 29.6% (16-of-54) from beyond the arc. Pfeiffer also finished 16-of-19 from the line, good for 84.2%.

The Falcons will get little rest, as they host Piedmont College at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon, Dec. 17 in another USA South game at Merner Gym.