CONWAY -- Bryant limited Conway to 11 points in the second half as it pulled out a 39-33 victory Tuesday.
Neither team shot very well from the field, although much of that could be attributed to tight defense. Bryant (9-10, 3-3 7A/6A-Central) never led in the first half, but grabbed the lead early in the third quarter and held Conway without a field goal over the final five minutes.
"Eleven in the second half, I'm really proud of that," Bryant Coach Mike Abrahamson said. "We scored just enough points. It was really ugly, but we're going to take it and be proud of it."
Wesley Peters scored over Conway center John Nekonchuk with 1:14 left for a 38-32 lead. Nekonchuk made a free throw a few seconds later, but Conway failed to score again despite multiple opportunities.
Conway (3-3, 12-6) led 10-7 after one quarter and by as many as five points in the first half. Javonte Ellis scored in the post to give Conway a 14-11 lead, and Prentice Mullins tipped in his own miss 30 seconds later for a five-point lead.
But Bryant closed to within 22-20 going into halftime, and Romen Martin opened the third quarter with a three-pointer to give the Hornets their first lead. Calvin Allen drove the lane for a basket to make it 25-22.
After Nekonchuk made a free throw, Ellis hit a three-pointer from 23 feet to give the Wampus Cats a 26-25 lead. Allen answered with a three-pointer for Bryant, and the Hornets never trailed again.
Martin drove in for another basket and Peters scored off an offensive rebound to give Bryant a 32-26 lead late in the third quarter. Bryant led by five points going into the fourth quarter and kept possession for more than two minutes without a shot.
Kennedy King broke the ice for Conway with a floater in the lane with 5:02 remaining, which turned out to be the Wampus Cats' final basket. Conway missed 4 of 6 free throws in the fourth quarter and made 9 of 20 overall.
Martin was Bryant's top scorer with 14 points, while Lowell Washington finished with eight. Ellis scored a game-high 16 points, but no other Wampus Cat had more than five.
BRYANT (39)
Martin 4 1-3 12, Washington 4 0-0 8, Peters 3 1-2 7, Allen 3 0-0 7, Hunt 1 3-4 5, Lewis 0 0-0 0, Turner 0 0-0 0, Cowart 0 0-0 0, Sahr 0 0-0 0. Totals 15 5-9 39.
CONWAY (33)
Ellis 5 3-6 16, Mullins 2 0-2 5, Nekonchuk 0 5-9 5, T. Smith 2 0-0 4, King 1 0-0 2, Johnson 0 1-2 1, K. Smith 0 0-1 0, Canada 0 0-0 0, Longing 0 0-0 0. Totals 10 9-20 33.
Bryant (3-3, 9-10); 7 13 14 5 -- 39
Conway (3-3, 12-6); 10 12 7 4 -- 33
Three-point goals -- Bryant 4 (Martin 3, Allen); Conway 4 (Ellis 3, Mullins). Team fouls -- Bryant 19, Conway 14. Fouled out -- Mullins.
Sports on 01/28/2015