SAU Men's Basketball Trips Elizabeth City State 74-63 For Third Consecutive Victory

Box Score

Quincy January Posts Another Double-Double For The Falcons Including a 75-Foot Bank Shot

ELIZABETH CITY, NC (Dec 16) – On Thursday, Quincy January (Jr./Atlanta, GA) tallied 18 points - including a 75-foot bank shot – and 10 rebounds to lead a balanced scoring attack as Saint Augustine's University erupted in the second half to trounce Elizabeth City State University 74-63 in a CIAA men's basketball contest at the Vaughan Center.

Kenneth Collins (Jr./Clayton, NC) added 15 points and JaQwan Ruffin (R-Fr./Ahoskie, NC) registered 11 points including 3 of 5 three-pointers for the Falcons (2-0 CIAA, 7-5 overall), who picked up their third straight victory and fifth in sixth contests. Chris Melton (So./Richmond, VA) chipped in nine points, Anthony Gaskins (Sr./Greenville, NC) scored eight points and D.J. Harrison (So./Winston-Salem, NC) collected seven points as six Falcons scored seven or more points. Antonio Watson (So./Raleigh, NC) handed out six assists for the Falcons.

January scored 12 points in the second half to spur the Falcons to victory but it was his long three-pointer in the first half which shifted the momentum. The Vikings (0-2 CIAA, 1-8 overall) had missed a jumper which would have broken a 35-35 tie in the closing seconds when January grabbed the rebound, dribbled a few times in the middle of the court and let loose a floater which banked in as the buzzer sounded.

The Falcons never looked back after taking a 38-35 halftime lead as they spurted to a 13-point lead in the first five minutes capped by Gaskins three-point play. The lead reached 18 points on the second of Ruffin's back-to-back three pointers with 2:28 left.

January's long three-pointer was the main highlight in another outstanding game from the Falcons junior. The double-double was the fourth straight and sixth overall this season for January, who averages a double-double and entered the game ranked 11^th in the nation in the category.

The Falcons also had another strong defensive effort as they held their third consecutive opponent and sixth in seven games to under 70 points. The Falcons are 7-1 when holding teams to less than 70 points.

The Vikings were held to 38.9 percent shooting overall but managed to keep the contest close in the first half at the free throw line, connecting on 14 of 17 free throws for 82.4 percent. The Falcons countered with hot three-point shooting led by Melton, who made 2 of 3 three-point attempts in the opening stanza.

Collins, who lead all scorers with 10 first-half points, knocked down 2 of 5 three-point attempts as the Falcons made 7 of 15 threes in the first 20 minutes which ultimately gave them the halftime lead. Melton scored all nine of his points in the first half.

The Falcons finished the contest making 10 of 26 treys for 38.5 percent. Overall, the Falcons shot 44.8 percent and outrebounded the Vikings 35-28.

The Vikings were not as successful from the three-point line, making 5 of 18 for 27.8 percent. The Falcons also kept the Vikings off the free throw line in the second half as the Vikings made two trips to the charity stripe, making both.

John Maynor led the Vikings with 15 points. Former Falcon Jordan Jones added 12 points and eight rebounds.

The Falcons will conclude their three-game road trip this week on Saturday, Dec. 17 against Chowan University in Murfreesboro, N.C. Tip-off is 4 p.m. This will be their third contest in five days.

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