Wilson, Pirates Dunk Patriots In PBC Tournament Quarterfinals

(Release Courtesty of the Peach Belt Conference)

AIKEN, S.C. - A Calvin Wilson dunk with 3.9 seconds left helped preserve a Peach Belt Conference (PBC) Quarterfinal win for three-seed and national No. 23 Armstrong Atlantic State University (23-5) 68-66 over Francis Marion University (16-12) tonight (March 6) at USC Aiken’s Convocation Center.

Wilson finished with a game-high 25 points, but none more important than the last two, helping AASU overcome some free-throw misses down the stretch. Up 40-24 at the half, the Pirates hit just 9-for-16 from the line in the second stanza, including 5-for-10 in the last two minutes.

FMU’s Houston Power knocked down a pair of free throws with 11 seconds left to tie the game at 66-66. After getting it across the timeline, despite having one more timeout, T.T. Hall went slashing through to the right side, and found a wide-open Wilson on the weak post for the slam. A last-ditch three try on the other end rimmed out for the Pirate win.

AASU will move on to face the winner of tonight’s final game between seventh-seed Clayton State University and second seed and national No. 17 USC Aiken.

Wilson went 9-for-13 from the floor as part of his 25 points, aided by 11 points from All-PBC First Team selection Dwight Tolbert and 10 from Keron McKenzie off the bench. All-PBC Second Teamer Brian Moultrie was held to just two points.

Francis Marion was led by Stanley Jones with 14 points and eight boards, and a 12-point, 12-rebound double-double from All-PBC Third Team choice Kevin Clark. Crayton Jones added a solid line of eight points, seven assists and six rebounds.

The Patriots beat AASU on the glass 46-34, including doubling up the Pirates on the offensive boards (16-8). Armstrong Atlantic took better care in their opportunities, hitting 41.7 percent (20-48) from the floor, while FMU was just 36.1 percent (22-61).

The first 12 minutes of the second half were owned by the Patriots, cutting a 15 point lead to three with a 20-10 run, capped by three-straight offensive rebounds and a Jones jumper in the paint.

The Pirates pounded the Patriots in the first half, causing eight turnovers but turning them to immediate points with a 14-0 advantage in points off takeaways. Wilson led all scorers with 11 first half points. The Patriots sent AASU to the line 21 times in the first half, with the Pirates converting 15 of those chances. Conversely, FMU was 6-of-10 from the line.

Boxscore

PBC Tournament – Game 11 Quotes – Francis Marion vs. Armstrong Atlantic

FMU Head Coach Gary Edwards
“It was your typical Armstrong Atlantic/Francis Marion game, they’ve all gone down to the wire. But I’m proud and pleased with the way my guys came back in the second half, they showed a lot of character, a lot of fight, playing against a very good team.”

On the last play: “In hindsight, we wanted to make a more aggressive play than we did. I wish I would have fouled (Robinson). But the guys trapped him and we took the ball out of his hands and he made a good play and a good pass.”

AASU Head Coach Jeff Burkhamer
“I didn’t think we started the game well at all. In the second half I thought we quit attacking as hard and they did a good job of attacking us. The thing I’m most proud of is that we never gave up the lead, we kept our poise and found a way to win the game at the end.”
“The last play was just a great play by Gabriel Robinson, to find TT (Hall), who found Calvin (Wilson). I though the best thing about the whole thing was the catch. That Calvin could catch it and dunk it in the same movement was amazing. After that, we might have gotten through Wallen on his shot, to maybe mess him up just enough to miss it.”

AASU’s Calvin Wilson
“I just wanted to get my game going. The last couple of games, I haven’t been playing my game.”
“I just had to make plays. I didn’t get to play in the tournament last year, I didn’t want to lose to night.”
On the last play: “I didn’t think TT (Hall) saw me, I was calling his name and I knew that if he got me the ball I was going to dunk it regardless ,whether they fouled me or not. I was just focused on catching the ball because he threw it kind of hard.”