The Erskine College men's basketball team outscored Lees-McRae College (LMC) by a 21-10 margin down the stretch en route to a 61-54 win in Conference Carolinas action last Wednesday, Jan. 19.
LMC (3-10, 0-6 CC) posted a 45.2 percent clip from the floor, including a 52.6 percent mark in the second half, while holding the Flying Fleet (2-9, 1-5 CC) to a 37.3 percent clip from the field. Daniel Sepokas poured in a game-high 14 points, converting 8-of-8 attempts at the free throw line while recording a team-high three assists. Tevin Friday, Adam McFerran and Sam Youse each tallied eight points, while DeAndre Tillman posted a game-high seven rebounds.
Filip Pejovic equaled Sepokas' game-high 14 points while also pulling down a contest-best seven rebounds. DeShaun Hall chipped in 11 points and four rebounds, while Chris Gore added a game-high four assists.
Erskine took an early 10-4 lead on a triple by Travis Liner before LMC responded, countering with a 9-0 run to claim a 13-10 advantage on a free throw by Youse at the 8:38 mark. Neither team held more than a three-point lead for the remainder of the half, with the Bobcats taking a narrow 26-25 advantage into the intermission.
The Flying Fleet stayed within striking distance for much of the second half, launching a 17-7 run over a four minute span to take a 57-51 lead on a free throw by Pejovic with 1:05 to play. Erskine then closed out the win with a 4-3 edge over the final minute to claim the 61-54 victory.
Coker College out-rebounded LMC by a 38-28 margin, and held the Bobcats to a 35 percent mark from the field en route to an 81-61 win in Conference Carolinas action last Saturday, Jan. 22.
McFerran poured in a game-high 22 points for the Bobcats, connecting on 7-of-15 attempts from the floor and going 8-for-11 at the free throw line. The senior guard also pulled down a game-high seven rebounds. Youse and Sepokas joined McFerran in double figures with 15 and 13 points, respectively, as Youse posted game-highs of three assists and four steals.
Coker took control early, launching an 18-1 run following a game-opening triple by Sepokas to take an 18-4 lead on a Ryan Aijan layup with 11:38 to play in the half. The Bobcats would answer with a 14-10 run, cutting the margin to 28-18 at the 6:05 mark following four-straight triples from Youse.
The Cobras pushed the lead back to 13 points on a Aijan triple at the 3:01 mark, taking a 37-24 advantage before the Bobcats closed out the half with a 4-0 spurt, capped by a last-second McFerran layup to trim the margin to 37-28 heading into the intermission.
Coker reclaimed the momentum early in the second half, pushing the lead to 46-32 on a Kyle jumper before the Bobcats answered with a quick 5-0 spurt to cut the margin to 46-37 on a McFerran layup with 15:53 to play. After LMC cut the lead to 49-41 on a pair of free throws by Friday at the 13:47 mark, the Cobras answered with a 20-7 run to take a 69-48 lead on a Doles three-point play with 6:46 to play.
The Bobcats fought back with a 9-2 run, cutting the margin to 71-57 on the heels of a five-point spurt by Sepokas with 4:45 left on the clock. Coker reclaimed the momentum and quelled the rally from there, closing out the win with a 10-4 run to equal the final margin of 81-61.
LMC hosts Belmont Abbey College in Williams Gymnasium at 7:30 p.m. this Wednesday, Jan. 26, and Barton College beginning at 4 p.m. this Saturday, Jan. 29.
Women’s Basketball: Erskine Slips By Lady Bobcats, LMC Routs Coker
The Erskine College women's basketball team overcame a late double-digit deficit, outscoring LMC by a 19-4 margin over the final six minutes last Wednesday, Jan. 19, en route to a narrow 75-74 victory in Conference Carolinas action.
Chloe Parker paced the Bobcats with her second straight double-double, turning in season-highs of 17 points and 13 rebounds on 8-of-12 shooting. Janina Thurau, Icey Patterson and Erin Thompson joined Parker in double figures with 15, 11 and 10 points, respectively. Melissa Jensen chipped in a game-high three steals for the Bobcats.
Morgan Porsha led the way for Erskine with a game-high 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting, while Elizabeth Tatum chipped in a double-double with 17 points and a contest-best 14 rebounds. Jean Marie Harris added 12 markers for the Flying Fleet, as Neci Allen and Porsha posted six and five assists, respectively.
LMC opened the first half strong, taking an early 10-5 lead on a Thurau triple at the 14:20 mark before Erskine responded, launching a 17-11 run to take a narrow 22-21 lead on a jumper by Porsha with 9:20 left in the period. The Bobcats answered with a tremendous run of their own, closing out the half with a 22-9 spurt to take a 43-31 lead into the intermission following a triple by Candace Flowers with 35 seconds left in the period.
The Bobcats maintained the double-digit margin until the 13:04 mark of the second half, when Allen converted a three-point play to cut the lead to 54-45. Lees-McRae responded with a 10-4 spurt, pushing the margin to 64-49 on a jumper by Sophie Witte (Hamburg, Germany) with 9:27 to play.
LMC held the double-digit margin for much of the next five minutes until Erskine claimed the momentum, launching a 19-1 run over the next four minutes to take a 75-71 lead. LMC answered with a Thompson triple to cut the gap to 75-74 in the closing seconds to equal the final margin.
LMC utilized a balanced attack and superb defense to record a 61-37 victory over Coker College on Saturday afternoon in Conference Carolinas action.
Parker scored in double figures for the fifth straight game, pouring in 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting while hauling down a game-high eight rebounds. Patterson joined Parker in double figures with 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting, while dishing out a team-high three assists. Kasey Haynes chipped in nine points off the bench, as Patterson posted a game-high three steals.
Freshman Ashley Thompson paced the Cobras with a game-high 18 points on 8-of-16 shooting, while also pulling down seven rebounds and equaling Patterson's contest-best three steals. Megan Thomas and Cassie Kirby chipped in seven and six points, respectively, while Jasmine Alston added six rebounds and a game-high six assists.
LMC returns to the court at 5:30 p.m. this Wednesday, Jan. 26, when the Bobcats host Belmont Abbey College in Williams Gymnasium.
Football: Washburn Joins Philadelphia Eagles Staff
Former LMC defensive coordinator Jim Washburn was named as the defensive line coach for the National Football League’s (NFL) Philadelphia Eagles last Wednesday, Jan. 19.
For the past 12 seasons, the Shelby native had made his home in Nashville, Tenn. as defensive line coach for the Tennessee Titans, coaching players such as Jevon Kearse and Kyle Vanden Bosch. Washburn was instrumental in turning both Kearse and Vanden Bosch into household names in the NFL.
In Washburn's first season with the Titans, he helped convert Kearse from linebacker to one of the premier defensive ends in the game. Kearse tallied 14.5 sacks in his rookie season and went on to post 70 sacks in his first five seasons with the club.
Washburn began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Southern Methodist University before taking the reins as defensive coordinator at LMC, then a junior college, in 1977. Washburn spent two seasons on the sidelines for the green and gold before accepting the same position at Livingston College in 1979. Following stints with New Mexico and South Carolina, Washburn took the head coaching position for the Charlotte Barons of the Minor League Football System, winning a national championship in 1990.
Washburn's career continued to climb as he moved on to take the defensive line position with the London Monarchs of the World League of American Football. In 1993, Washburn returned to Charlotte as an assistant coach for the Arena Football League's Charlotte Rage before accepting the defensive line position with Arkansas. Washburn spent four seasons with the Razorbacks before spending one season in Houston prior to his joining the Titans.
Washburn replaces Rory Segrest as Eagles defensive line coach.
