ATHENS, W. Va. – Davis & Elkins got off to a hot start, but could not fend off a balanced Concord lineup in an 80-63 road loss at the Carter Center on Saturday afternoon in Mountain East Conference (MEC) play.
Myles Monroe and
Erkam Kiris had 22 points and six rebounds each for Davis & Elkins. The Senators converted on 39.7% from the floor and made eight three-pointers, including two each from Monroe,
Donte Doleman and
Mandela Baledrokadroka.
Concord, which snapped a five-game losing streak, took the lead in the first half at 12-10 and did not trail the rest of the way. Trey Briscoe notched a team-high 18 points to go along with two rebounds, four assists and a block. Martin Kelly Jr. had 15 points for the Mountain Lions and Brandon Kennedy (12) and Cole Meadows (10) were also in double figures.
The Mountain Lions made 20-of-22 foul shots, while Davis & Elkins was 5-of-8 from the line.
THE RUNDOWN
- Concord (5-10, 3-7 MEC) – 80
- Davis & Elkins (5-11, 3-7 MEC) – 63
- Carter Center – Athens, W. Va.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- D&E opened the game with consecutive makes from behind the arc, coming from Doleman and Patrick Wilburn, for a quick 6-0 lead. Monroe pushed the D&E edge to 8-2 with a layup before the Mountain Lions answered back for a 9-8 lead with 15:05 showing on the first half clock.
- Monroe stole a tipped ball and raced ahead for the dunk, but Trey Briscoe responded with a trey on the next trip down the court as Concord stayed ahead for the duration. Off a steal from Tyler Twyman, Monroe finished in the paint to trim the deficit to four at 20-16, but Concord ballooned its edge to 10 following a Malik Johnson three.
- D&E ended the half on a 6-0 run with three-pointers from Baledrokadroka at the 1:28 mark and another from Doleman with just two ticks on the first half clock to trim the Senators' deficit to single digits at 36-29 heading to the break.
- A Monroe layup trimmed the deficit to seven, but Concord once again counterpunched with a three on the next possession to stretch its lead back to 41-31. Though D&E could not whittle the lead down to single digits again, the Senators had one final push with quick buckets from Kiris at 17:15 and 16:40.
- Concord continued to work the ball inside to maintain a comfortable advantage the rest of the way.
GAME NOTES
- Concord held a 10-0 edge in second chance points at the break, ultimately finishing with a 10-4 advantage in that category.
- Saturday marked Monroe's second game with 20 or more points as a Senator, while Kiris had a new career high in his second consecutive 20-point outing.
- Kiris fired home 17 of his 22 points in the second half.
- Baledrokadroka once again led the team in assists, handing out six on Saturday afternoon.
- Concord made the most of its time at the line, converting all nine attempts in the second half.
UP NEXT
- Davis & Elkins is back home this upcoming week for two consecutive games, beginning on Wednesday, January 22 against Fairmont State.
- Tipoff from the McDonnell Center is slated for 7:30 PM.
