ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. — The second-seeded Catawba Valley Community College men's basketball team avoided the upset bid from No. 7 Bryant & Stratton during the semifinals of the South Atlantic District tournament on Thursday, winning 76-70 in overtime at North Carolina Wesleyan College.
With the victory, the Red Hawks (22-8) advance to face No. 6 Louisburg (20-11) in the tournament semifinals on Friday at 4 p.m. The Hurricanes upset No. 3 seed Florida Gateway 83-77 in the final quarterfinal tournament game on Thursday.
Behind a staunch defensive effort, Catawba Valley took a 34-25 lead at halftime, holding Bryant & Stratton (17-14) to just 26.7 percent shooting from the field.
However, the Bobcats would capitalize in the second on foul trouble by the Red Hawks, making 16-of-23 free throws to erase its deficit and gain a 41-40 lead at the 12:52 mark of the second half.
CVCC trailed 61-57 with just one minute, 53 seconds remaining in the game, but it rallied behind the shot of sophomore guard Jonathan McFall, who made two free throws and sank the tying jump shot with just 1:15 left in the game.
Fellow sophomore Jeremiah Keith also blocked a shot by the Bobcats' Darius Ruff with just 37 seconds remaining in regulation to prevent Bryant & Stratton from making the go-ahead score.
The Red Hawks had a chance to win the game in regulation, getting the ball back with 31 seconds left, but a 3-point shot by McFall came up just short at the buzzer, sending the contest into overtime.
In the extra session, McFall once again took over, scoring four-straight points to give Catawba Valley an early four-point cushion, and the Red Hawks padded their advantage with a 3-pointer by Donovan Evans and a lay up from Keith.
McFall led the Red Hawks with a team-high 23 points, while Evans added 14 points.
Defense yet again played a big role in overtime for CVCC, which held Bryant & Stratton to just 25 percent shooting (3-of-12) in the extra session, including 1-for-7 from 3-point range. The Bobcats also only made two of their six free throw attempts.
The Red Hawks' early run and made free throws down the stretch combined with the Bobcats' offensive struggled helped Catawba Valley earn its first tournament victory outside of the play-in round since a 113-77 win as the No. 3 seed against No. 6 Pasco-Hernando on Feb. 28, 2016.
For an updated look at the tournament bracket, see below:
2020 South Atlantic District/Region 10 tournament
Play-in round (on Monday)
No. 8 Fayetteville Tech 87, No. 9 Guilford Tech 83
No. 7 Bryant & Stratton 85, No. 10 Lenoir 62
No. 6 Louisburg 104, No. 11 Patrick Henry 79
No. 5 Pitt 75, No. 12 Vance Granville 50
First round (on Thursday)
No. 1 Davidson County 101, No. 8 Fayetteville Tech 74
No. 4 Wake Tech 93, No. 5 Pitt 91
No. 2 Catawba Valley 76, No. 7 Bryant & Stratton 70 (OT)
No. 6 Louisburg 83, No. 3 Florida Gateway 77
Semifinals (on Friday)
No. 1 Davidson County (29-1) vs. No. 4 Wake Tech (17-13), 2 p.m.
No. 2 Catawba Valley (22-8) vs. No. 6 Louisburg (20-11), 4 p.m.
Championship (on Saturday)
Davidson County/Wake Tech winner vs. Catawba Valley/Louisburg winner, noon
