SAVANNAH, Ga. – Point guard Brandon Hickson (Sr./Columbia, S.C.) hit three free throws in the last 24.2 seconds to lift Saint Augustine's College over Mount Olive College 69-66 on Saturday (Dec. 19) in the 2009 Hampton Inn & Suites Fall Basketball Classic at Armstrong Sports Center.
Hickson's free throws gave the Falcons (8-1 overall) their eighth straight victory. They were the only team to finish 2-0 in the holiday tournament hosted by Armstrong Atlantic State University.
Guard Jeremy Banks (So./Elizabeth City, N.C.) came off the bench to score a team-high 13 points on five-for-five shooting including two three-pointers. Guard Chris Jordan (Sr./Houston, Texas) scored 10 of his 11 points in the second half and forwards Steven Brignol (Sr./Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Hayward Fain (Jr./Akron, Ohio) added 12 and 10 points, respectively, for the Falcons.
Hickson had a solid all-around game with seven points, seven assists, five rebounds and two steals for the Falcons.
Led by a balanced scoring attack, the Falcons pulled ahead late after staying within striking distance most of the game. Jordan banged home two consecutive three-pointers to put the Falcons ahead 64-62 after trailing almost the entire time.
After Hickson made two free throws for a 68-66 lead, the Falcons forced a travel on the other end. The Trojans put Hickson on the line again where he hit one of two free throws, but Brignol rebounded the miss. Brignol missed the front end of a one-and-one with 2.1 seconds left, but a desperation heave by the Trojans fell way short.
After shooting 36 percent in the first half, The Falcons bounced back in the second half with 52 percent shooting which aided their comeback. They also held the Trojans to 38 percent shooting in the second half. Overall, the Falcons shot 44 percent and the Trojans shot 37 percent. The Falcons outscored the smaller Trojans in the paint 30-22.
The Trojans (5-2 overall) were paced by Kendrick Easley, who scored 15 of his game-high 21 points in the second half. Lamonte' Theus added 13 points and Mike Holloman and Craig Hayes contributed 11 points each for the Trojans, who had a receiving vote in the latest national Division II poll.
Banks led the Falcons with seven first-half points. The Falcons trailed by as many as nine points in the first half, but Banks led a late rally to pull the Falcons within 30-27 at halftime. Brignol added five points in the first half for the Falcons.
The Falcons take a holiday break before returning to action Jan. 2 in a CIAA home game against Bowie State University. The game begins at 4 p.m. at Emery Gymnasium.
