Braves fall to Cyclones in preseason exhibition

By Matt Smith
Sports Editor
Nov. 12, 2009

Photo by Matt Smith

UNCP sophomore gaurd Marcus Heath dribbles through the Francis Marion defense in their game against the Patriots last season. The Black and Gold opened their 2009-2010 campaign against the Iowa State Cyclones in Ames, Iowa, on Nov. 6.

The UNCP men’s basketball team opened their 2009-2010 season Nov. 6 in Ames, Iowa, falling 106-54 to Iowa State in the team’s first exhibition game of the season.

The Braves shot almost 43 percent from the floor in the second half, but the Cyclones’ defense proved too much for the team in the first half, allowing the Black and Gold to shoot just 19 percent before halftime.

Iowa State wasted little time blowing the game open, as they went on a 20-3 run in the game’s first seven minutes.

The Cyclones used an array of jump shots and layups to open the lead, and held the Braves scoreless for over four minutes until Black and Gold freshman Shahmel Brackett nailed a jumper to cut into the Cyclone’s 17 point margin.

The Cyclones would go on another long run in the middle of the first half, outscoring the Braves 14-1 to take a 36-6 lead with 6:38 left in the period.

During Iowa State’s run, UNCP turned the ball over four times, which the Cyclones converted into six points.

The Black and Gold played Iowa State close for the rest of the first half, with Iowa State just edging the Braves 17-14 in the game’s last five minutes to head into halftime with a 53-20 lead.

The Braves finished the half 6-31 from the floor, with a 2-10 mark from behind the 3-point arc. Iowa State shot over 62 percent on 20-32 shooting.

Second half scoring
In the second half, the Braves’ offense came alive late in the period, but the defense remained unable to slow the Cyclones’ charge.

Iowa State opened the second half on a 10-2 run to take a 63-22 lead with 15:15 left to play. The Braves hit just one shot during the streak, going 1-8 to open up the half.

The outmatched Braves continued to hustle, but the offensive woes continued over the next four minutes, as the team went 3-9 before finding their rhythm with 10 minutes to go.

With the score 79-34, the Black and Gold outscored the Cyclones 11-9 in a five minute span. Senior Brandon Thomas led the charge with four points, while sophomore Nate Priest had four of his own and a steal during the Black and Gold’s run.

The Cyclones closed the game off a 19-9 run to finish the Braves off 106-54.

Priest led the Braves with eight points on 4-6 shooting, while Brackett and Thomas contributed seven apiece for the Black and Gold. Thomas also led the team with nine rebounds.

Cyclone scoring
Freshman guard K.J. Cooper tallied three assists to lead the Braves.

For the Cyclones, four players scored in double digits, with junior forward Craig Brackins heading the charge with 17. Diante Garrett, Charles Boozer and Chris Colvin added 16, 11 and 10 points, respectively.

The Cyclones finished the game shooting just over 56 percent from the floor, while their defense forced 27 UNCP turnovers.

The game against the Cyclones was the first of three exhibition games for the Braves. The team fell 79-44 to Northern Iowa Nov. 7, and will face High Point University Nov. 14 before their first home game of the season against Fayetteville State on Nov. 16.