DUE WEST, S.C. – The Erskine College men's basketball team (2-10, 2-10 CC) lost 85-80 to Belmont Abbey College (13-4, 11-3 CC) in Belk Arena on Tuesday night.
 
GAME ESSENTIALS:
Conf. Carolinas Standings | Stats | Scores
Div. II Scores | Record Book | CC Digital Network
 
THE SERIES
With the win tonight, Belmont-Abbey completes the season sweep of the Fleet having already won in Belmont, N.C. on February 10. Since the 2007-08 season, BAC leads 21-8 all-time.

THE GAME
After a close contest on Tuesday night went North Greenville's way, Erskine opened up Thursday with a different look. A mixture of full court pressure and zone sets gave the Fleet a seven-point lead (11-4) at the under 16 media timeout. Rod Culver scored all seven of his first half points during the next stretch to extend the Fleet lead to as many as eight, 21-13, at the under 12 mark. The Crusaders pulled within four, 26-22, with 7:11 to play, but the Fleet countered with a Jalen Miller 3-pointer to maintain their lead. Four straight free-throws brought the Crusaders within two possessions and a made 3-pointer with 3:34 remaining closed the gap even further. In the final four minutes the Crusaders outscored the Fleet 20-6 to take a 44-40 advantage into halftime. Momentum shifted in the second half, however, as the Fleet countered with a 21-6 run to open the half. A 10-point lead (60-50) was established with 13:19 to play. From there, the game was tied at 61-61 and 68-68. In the final 3:34, the Crusaders outscored the Fleet by four to pull away for the 85-80 victory.

THE PLAYER
Rod Culver scored 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the floor. Culver had seven quick points in the first half and then added eight more in the second. The senior pulled down two rebounds and added two assists.

THE TEAM
Erskine shot 31-65 (47.7%) from the field as well as 11-28 (39.3%) from 3-point range. The Fleet were 7-17 (41.2%) from the free throw line. Belmont-Abbey College outrebounded Erskine 38-28 as both teams had 19 assists.

WHAT'S NEXT?
The Fleet finish the week with a home contest against Chowan University (3-6, 3-6 CC) on Saturday at 4:00 p.m.
 
Since Chowan joined the league in 2019, the Hawks have won both games against the Fleet. The originally scheduled game in Murfreesboro, N.C. has since been rescheduled for next Saturday, February 27 to complete the season series.

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