Limestone Wins Conference Carolinas Tournament Title - Mar 6, 2017
The Limestone College men's basketball team defeated King (Tenn.) University, 76-70, to win the 2016-17 Conference Carolinas Tournament Championship on Sunday afternoon at Merner Gym.
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE Redshirt-senior guard Shaquille Dance (6'4''-G) (Garner, N.C.) led the Saints with 24 points. He also grabbed six rebounds. Redshirt-senior Shaun Stewart (6'0''-PG) (Indian Trail, N.C.) tallied 23 points. He added six rebounds and seven assists. Sophomore guard Kenny Hairston (5'10''-PG-95) (Charlotte, N.C.) also recorded double-digit points with 15. Redshirt-junior forward Donovan Harris (6'7''-F) (Burlington, N.C.) cleaned the glass for the Saints with 16 boards. Limestone shot 44.1 percent from the field (26-of-59) and 77.8 percent from the free-throw line (14-of-18).
HOW IT HAPPENED First Half King put the first six points on the board as the Tornado jumped out ahead early, 6-0. The Saints used the next couple of minutes to find their rhythm and went on a 16-4 run to tie the game then take the 16-10 lead at the 14:01 minute mark. The Tornado put a stop to the Limestone run with a triple but the Saints answered with a 7-3 run to make the score 23-16 with 11:16 on the clock. Both teams traded baskets before the Tornado started chipping away at the Limestone lead to get within one point, 26-25 at the 7:16 minute mark. The Saints held onto the slim lead until King connected on a shot from downtown to regain the lead, 31-29 with just over five minutes left in the period. In the final minutes of the half, the Tornado outscored the Saints 11-9 to take a 42-38 lead at the break. Second Half The Saints came out of the locker rooms scoring the first six points of the half to take the lead, 44-42 with 17:27 on the clock. After a quick answer from the Tornado, the Blue and Gold scored the next three points to go out ahead, 47-44. Play remained close as the scoreboard was knotted on five occasions before the Saints worked their way to a slim five-point lead 63-58 with 7:24 on the clock. The Tornado got within one point, 63-62 but the Saints retaliated with seven consecutive points to take a 69-62 lead with 4:32 on the clock. Limestone held onto the lead, the remainder of the game as the Saints defeated the Tornado 76-70.
NOTABLES At the conclusion of today's game, Dance, Stewart and Harris were named to the All-Tournament Team.
UP NEXT The Saints will have to wait till later this evening to see who they will face in the first round of the NCAA Division II Tournament.
All-Tournament MVP: Shaquille Dance (6'4''-G) of Limestone Player of the Year: A.J. Clark (5'10''-PG) of Pfeiffer Defensive Player of the Year: Shaquille Dance (6'4''-G) of Limestone Freshman of the Year: Michael Boykin (6'1''-G) of Barton, NC Coach of the Year: Jeremy Currier of Pfeiffer
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