2008 AASU/Chatham Orthopedics Holiday Classic Day Two Wrapup

SAVANNAH, Ga. - Uriah Hethington’s dunk with four seconds remaining put a final exclamation point on the 2008 AASU/Chatham Orthopedics Holiday Basketball Classic on Saturday evening at Alumni Arena, clinching a 65-61 win for the Pirates over Lenoir-Rhyne in the finale.

The win helped AASU finish 2-0 in the Classic, joining two other squads – the St. Augustine’s men went 2-0 thanks to a 71-52 win over Concordia Selma, and Wingate’s women also finished 2-0 after a 76-59 win over Columbus State. The AASU women also got into the win column with a 61-48 win over Valdosta State.

The Pirates (6-1) and the Bears (4-5) put on a show in a tight final two minutes in the last game of the day. The game featured 11 lead changes and seven ties, and looked like it would come down to the wire as two free throws by D.J. Blackmon of Lenoir-Rhyne cut the AASU lead to two, 63-61, with 14 seconds left. AASU guard T.T. Hall caught the inbounds pass in traffic and dribbled out of trouble, beating the pressure and finding Dwight Tolbert up the left side, who fed Hethington for the easy dunk and the game clincher. Hethington came off the bench to record a double-double for AASU with 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Tolbert finished the night with 11 points.

Lenoir-Rhyne forward Elliott McDowell led all scorers on the night with 22 points, while Marcus Hodges chipped in 12 points, thanks to 3-of-3 on three-pointers, and Donte Watson added 11.

The Lady Pirates got back on the winning track, using a 29-6 run between the last five minutes of the first half and the first seven minutes of the second half to erase a 10-point Valdosta State lead and build a 13-point lead, 38-25. Valdosta State (7-3) cut the lead to five, 48-43, with 3:45 remaining, but the Lady Pirates were outstanding from the line down the stretch, hitting nine straight free throws in the final two minutes to clinch the win.

Dartayvia Thomas registered a career-high 19 points to lead AASU (7-2), while Lacey Willis notched 13 points – all in the second half – on 6-of-9 shooting from the floor. Courtney Mitchell came off the bench to lead Valdosta State with 11 points – four more points than the freshman had scored all season long.

No. 25 Wingate finished the tournament 2-0 by knocking off a second consecutive team from the Peach Belt in a 76-59 win over Columbus State. The Bulldogs (7-2) forced 26 turnovers by the Cougars (7-3) while hitting 23-of-29 shots from the free throw line. Kurie Washington led a balanced scoring attack for Wingate, collected 13 points, while Anna Atkinson notched 12 points and Stefani Shuey added 10. Columbus State was led for a second straight night by Phebe Smith, who hit 6-of-7 shots from the floor for a game-high 15 points.

St. Augustine’s also finished the tournament with a 2-0 record after picking up a 71-52 win over Concordia Selma in the first men’s game of the day. The Falcons (6-4) shot 52.7 percent from the floor in the win and held the Hornets (4-12) to just 27.9 percent. Steven Brignol led the way for St. Augustine’s with 15 points, while Chris Jordan chipped in 10. Concordia Selma was led by John Nixon’s game-high 19 points and Justin Hill’s 13 points.