Box Score The Maryville College men's basketball team earned their second victory in as many days, downing LaGrange College, 86-80.
The Scots rolled the Panthers, avenging a 73-69 loss a week ago in Georgia.
LaGrange took a two-point lead to the break – 39-37 – after a Braxton Ford trey with 20 ticks remaining in the stanza.
The Scots trailed by only two after being outshot by the Panthers, who knocked down 51.7 percent in the first half (15-of-29). Maryville shot 13-of-30 (43.3 percent), but eight charity tosses helped close the gap. LaGrange outrebounded the Scots 18-16, but eight Panther turnovers proved beneficial to MC.
The second half proved a back-and-forth battle, as the game saw seven ties and 19 lead changes. Maryville grabbed the lead back behind five straight points by Spencer Shoffner in the second half 42-41. The Scots would build that lead to 54-47, before LaGrange would storm back.
The Panthers took advantage with 8:54 left on the clock, 58-57, but an Oscar Butler 3-pointer 9 seconds later was followed by a jump shot to give Maryville a 62-58 lead.
Behind Butler, Maryville took on a 13-0 run to boast a 70-58 lead with 5:54 left on the clock, but the Panthers wouldn't go away.
Kendall Wallace's squad would pull the score, 74-70, but that was as close as they could get. The Scots converted 6-of-8 from the charity stripe through the final 50 seconds to secure the USA South Athletic Conference victory.
Maryville was led by senior Christian Ford that boasted 20 points, six assists, two rebounds and steal and a block, as the point guard finished 8-of-9 from the free-throw line. Ford was just one of five double-digit scorers for the Scots, as Jaumonee Byrd tossed in a near double-double with 18 points and nine rebounds.
Butler – also a senior – posted a double-double on the night. Butler posted 12 points and 13 rebounds, as the senior wing is now only 16 points off becoming the third Scot this season to join the 1,000-point club. Butler currently has 984 career points and 648 rebounds. He'd be the second player this season to reach 1,000 points and 500 rebounds, as Byrd accomplished the feat on Feb. 14.
Shoffner had 12 points behind a 2-of-4 day from beyond the arc, while senior Spencer Peake tallied 10 points on 3-of-5 shooting. Peake sparked a run early in the first half that kept Maryville alive.
Calvin Songster and Logan Brewer each totaled six points to round out the scoring for the Scots.
LaGrange was led by two 17-point scorers. Nick Mitchell tallied 17 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals, while Mark Wagner posted 17 points, four rebounds, three assists and a steal from the guard position. Mike White had 13 points and seven rebounds, while Braxton Ford had 12 points off the bench.
Maryville moves to 11-11 on the season, while posting a 7-5 record in conference action. The victory moves the Scots into a tie for third place within the conference.
The Panthers fall to 12-11, 6-7 in conference action.
The Orange and Garnet will host their final home game on Wednesday, Feb. 18, as USA South rival, Piedmont College comes to town. Tipoff for the men's game is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
