EKU defeats South Carolina State

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Eastern Kentucky University men’s basketball team rallied behind a hot-shooting night from freshman Nick Mayo to beat South Carolina State, 92-82, in the @EKUHoops Classic on Saturday afternoon in McBrayer Arena.

Less than 24 hours after being held scoreless by Ball State, Mayo went 9-of-11 from the field to finish with a career-high 20 points. He also pulled down five rebounds. Junior JaVontae Hawkins was right behind him with 19 points, five rebounds, and five assists. Senior Jarelle Reischel accounted for 18 points and seven rebounds.

The Colonels (3-1) wasted little time, opening the game on an 18-5 run that was capped by a K.J. Bluford three-pointer with 13:57 on the clock. The Bulldogs regrouped, though, and eventually tied the game at 24-24 when Ed Stephens knocked down a three-pointer at the 8:27 mark.

That was as close as SCSU got to the Colonels. Hawkins buried a jumper on Eastern’s next possession, sparking a 7-0 spurt that gave the Colonels a 31-24 advantage with just under seven minutes to play in the first half. A three-pointer at the buzzer by Mayo kept EKU’s lead at seven, 43-36, going into halftime.

South Carolina State (2-2) pulled back to within one, 46-45, when Greg Mortimer converted a layup less than three minutes into the second half. However, the Colonels had an answer, and his name was Nick Mayo. Hawkins fed Mayo for a layup on the other end of the floor, igniting a 6-0 run that gave the Colonels some breathing room.

EKU slowly pulled away from there, stretching its lead back to double digits, 66-55, on a layup by sophomore Paul Jackson with 8:55 to play.

The Colonels never trailed in the game.

Stephens led the way for the South Carolina State, finishing with 21 points, three rebounds, and three assists. Gabriel McCray tallied 18 points and five rebounds.

The Colonels return to action on Sunday at 2:00 pm against Longwood in their final game of the @EKUHoops classic at McBrayer arena.