NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Atlantic Regional
Hosted by Gannon University (Erie, Pa. – Hammermill Center)
Quarterfinal Game #4 – Saturday, March 14, 2009
ERIE, Pa. - Sam Liggins scored 22 of his game-high 25 points in the second half as Alderson-Broaddus outlasted Johnson C. Smith 92-83 in a topsy-turvy NCAA Division II Atlantic Region first round contest.
Terrell Eargle added 22 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 assists as the Battlers advance to face top-seed and tournament host Gannon on Sunday evening. Stan Hall chipped in with 21 for the Battlers.
The Battlers opened up a 15-9 lead seven minutes into the game. Eargle exploited JCSU's 2-3 zone with eight quick points, while Hall added six to help A-B build the early lead.
An Isaiah Boyd bucket ran the lead to 22-13. Mark Summerfield added a three-pointer at the 8:35 mark as A-B doubled up the CIAA Tournament champions at 26-13.
The Golden Bulls crept within 29-21 as Tavaris Little knocked down a pair of three-pointers. The Battlers pushed it back to a dozen points on buckets by Liggins and Eargle.
The double-digit lead was short-lived as JCSU used a trapping defense to forge an 11-4 run to close within 37-32 at intermission.
It didn't take long for Johnson C. Smith to seize the advantage in the second half. The Golden Bulls ripped off the half's first dozen points. Jerry Hollis' follow-up put JCSU on top 38-37 only 65 seconds deep into the stanza.
The lead grew to 44-37 before A-B broke the spell on Stan Hall's long jumper at the 16:40 mark. Ryan Scott responded with a three-pointer to push the run to 15-2 and the JCSU margin to 47-39. Another Scott drive gave the Golden Bulls their first double-figure advantage at 51-41.
The Battlers rallied to pull within 55-53 on a Sam Liggins triple, but JCSU responded quickly with a Scott trifecta to increase the bulge back out to five.
A-B regained the lead at the 7:52 mark when Eargle's three-pointer gave the Battlers a 64-62 edge. The lead went out to 72-64 after another Liggins trifecta, an old-fashioned three-point play by Montel Lee, and an Eargle dunk.
An acrobatic Stan Hall inside basket extended the A-B advantage to 80-69 at the three minute mark. However, the Golden Bulls wouldn't go away quietly. A Scott free throw narrowed the gap to 85-78 at the 1:15 mark.
Alderson-Broaddus, who has won three of their past four NCAA regional openers, advances to 27-5. Johnson C. Smith ends at 23-8. Little paced the Golden Bulls with 20 points, while Scott ended with 15.
A complete box score from Saturday's Alderson-Broaddus/Johnson C. Smith NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional Men's Basketball Quarterfinal game can be found at http://www.gannonsports.com/documents/2009/3/14/ncaa4.htm?id=253.
