Month: February 2024

Mustangs Down Atlanteans on Senior Day 80-67

ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. – Mid-Atlantic Christian got big production from a pair of sophomores to hold off USCAA seventh-ranked Atlantis 80-67 in an NSAC game Sunday afternoon.

Sophomores Noah Richardson-Keys and Joshua Tyler both finished the game with double-doubles. Richardson-Keys had 25 points and 14 rebounds while and Tyler added 22 points and 12 boards. The Mustangs also honored their senior Talik Totten, who scored 14 points with 6 rebounds in the last home game in his career as a Mustang. 

The Atlanteans’ Tyric Francois led all scorers with 28 points.

It was MACU’s second consecutive win over a USCAA ranked opponent. The Mustangs slipped past then-fifth-ranked Manor 98-91 on January 27.

MACU (6-15 overall, 3-3 NSAC) will finish its conference regular season on the road Tuesday, February 13 at top-ranked Apprentice School in Newport News, Virginia. Atlantis (9-14, 1-2) has concluded its NSAC schedule and will face Regent on Monday in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

The NSAC tournament seedings will be decided by a coaches poll and announced Monday, February 19.

BLC Holds MACU at Bay 92-83

ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. – Blue Lights College continued to stake its claim for the top seed in the upcoming NSAC men’s basketball tournament with a 92-83 conference win at Mid-Atlantic Christian Saturday afternoon.

MACU (5-15 overall, 2-3 NSAC) opened up a 5-0 lead in the first minute and 21 seconds, but the Thoroughbreds (12-5, 5-1) would tie the game three times before taking a 16-14 lead on a Jaye Bookhart field goal at 13:55. Elijah Cox would tie the game again for the Mustangs on two free throws 13 seconds later, but a 2-pointer by Sam Benton Jr. at 13:15 to play in the first would give BLC a lead they would never relinquish.

Blue Lights would hold a 50-45 advantage at halftime and extend it to as many as 14, 80-66, with 7:54 remaining.

Benton’s double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds led a balanced attack for the Thoroughbreds, who had five players in double-figure scoring. Noah Richardson-Keys led MACU with a double-double of 26 points and 10 boards.

Image courtesy USCAA Sports Network and MACU Athletics

Teams Enter Final Week of Conference Play

In a scheduling anomaly, New South teams are entering the final week of conference play more than three weeks ahead of the season-ending tournament.

The four teams atop the standings highlight Saturday’s schedule with two games tipping at 2:00 pm. In Newport News, Virginia, defending NSAC champion and top-ranked Apprentice hosts number 7 Atlantis. Just an hour to the south in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, Mid-Atlantic Christian looks to even the score with Blue Lights College after losing to the Thoroughbreds in a shootout 120-113 on January 30 in Apex.

On Sunday, Atlantis continues its road trip with a visit to MACU, then the Mustangs visit Apprentice on Tuesday night.

Lighthouse begins a three-game conference gauntlet on Tuesday, February 13 by visiting BLC with a quick turnaround to make a noon Wednesday tip against Central International in Richmond. The Makos will wrap up the NSAC regular season at Apprentice Thursday night.

After that, conference teams will conclude the year by facing regional rivals with the final game, MACU at Regent, taking place Thursday, February 22, leaving eight full days to rest and prepare for the NSAC Tournament starting March 1. Tournament seedings will be set by a coaches poll following the completion of the regular season.

Photo by Matthias Cooper on Unsplash

Atlantis Tripped Up at Clinton 125-98

ROCK HILL, S.C. – Senior guard Cam Shannon poured in a career-high 41 points to lead Clinton College to a 125-98 win over Atlantis Thursday night.

Clinton (14-7) raced to a 63-36 halftime lead and maintained that 27-point margin at the final buzzer.

Tyric Francois led the Atlanteans with 27 points.

The game was the first of a four-game series through the Carolinas and Virginia for Atlantis (9-12 overall, 1-0 NSAC), which will face NSAC foes Apprentice on Saturday and MACU on Sunday before closing the trip with a non-conference tilt at Regent on Monday.

Image courtesy auatlanteans.com

Royals Stun Mustangs with Game-Winning Layup

ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. – Mid-Atlantic Christian led by as many as 16 points in the second half but a buzzer-beating layup closed the deal as the Mustangs fell to non-conference rival Regent 82-80 Wednesday night.

MACU (5-14 overall, 2-2 NSAC) started with a strong lead and led by 14 points at halftime, pushing the margin to 16 early in the second half, but the visiting Royals (1-14) began to chip away and took their first lead at 69-68 with less than six minutes to play. Neither team could gain separation after that, and a Darrin Clark layup with 2.7 seconds remaining was the difference maker.

Leading the Mustangs was sophomore Noah Richardson-Keys with 27 points, four steals, and seven rebounds. Senior Talik Totten followed with 19 points while sophomore Joshua Tyler added 17.

Clark led the Royals with 19 points.

MACU hosts Blue Lights College Saturday at 2:00 pm.

Image courtesy regentroyals.com

BLC Scoring Onslaught Too Much for CIC

APEX, N.C. – Sophomores Wol Yak and Sam Benton, Jr. scored 38 points apiece to lead Blue Lights College to an overpowering 117-72 NSAC win against Central International College Tuesday night.

BLC (11-5 overall, 4-1 NSAC) continued its torrid scoring pace, topping the century mark for the seventh time this season and the third time in the last four games. The Herd is averaging 93.3 points per game.

Junior forward Ty Rias led the Cardinals (7-10, 0-5) with 16 points.

Blue Lights travels to Elizabeth City, North Carolina on Saturday for a conference rematch with Mid-Atlantic Christian. The Thoroughbreds outpaced the Mustangs 120-113 on January 30 in Apex.

CIC steps outside the conference Saturday for a game at 11th-ranked Johnson & Wales.

Image credit Craig Green/BLC Media

Benton’s Record-Breaking Game Leads to POTW Honors

Point guard Sam Benton, Jr. has been a constant for Blue Lights College the past two years, starting every game he’s played in and averaging 38 minutes per game. This past week though, Sam did something no other Thoroughbred has done before: Benton scored 47 points in one game, breaking the school single-game scoring record.

Benton totaled 47 points, seven assists, four boards, and three steals in Tuesday’s win over conference rival MACU. Benton’s onslaught and BLC’s win kept them undefeated at home this season, and for his record-setting effort, the Thoroughbred guard has been named the New South Conference Player of the Week.

Congratulations, Sam!