Box Score RALEIGH, N.C. (Dec. 30) – Quincy January (Sr./Atlanta, GA) finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds to lead five double-figure scorers as Saint Augustine's University beat Belmont Abbey College 79-66 Saturday at the Wheeler Center in Belmont, N.C., for its fourth straight men's basketball win.
Rashad George (Fr./Raleigh, NC) added 14 points while Tyre Gathright (So./Wilmington, NC), Kenneth Collins (Sr./Clayton, NC) and D.J. Harrison (Jr./Winston-Salem, NC) had 11 points apiece. The Falcons shot 46.2 percent to improve their overall record to 6-8 overall.
January, who added two blocks, three assists and two steals, recorded his seventh double-double this season and 45th of his career. He entered the contest tied for third among active Division II players in career double-doubles.
The Falcons went on a 21-6 run between the first and second halves to take control of the game. They scored the last five points in the first half on George's two free throws and Collins' three-pointer to break a 35-35 tie and take a 40-35 halftime lead in the final 36 seconds. The Falcons stretched the lead to 56-41 in the second half on Gathright's jumper at the 13:12 mark.
The Crusaders (6-7 overall) closed within 73-66 with 2:38 left, but the Falcons scored the last six points, including an emphatic one-handed dunk by January, with 36 seconds remaining. The dunk was one of three for the high-flying forward in the contest.
January and Harrison (seven rebounds) led the Falcons on the boards against the Crusaders. The Falcons won the rebounding battle 44-37, which led to a 17-7 edge in second chance points and a 38-18 advantage in points in the paint. The Falcons also scored 17 points off 12 forced turnovers and outscored the Crusaders 24-5 in bench points, thanks to Collins and Harrison.
Gathright added six rebounds and Ishmael Baldwin (Jr./Kinston, NC) totaled nine points and five rebounds for the Falcons. DeQuan Abrom scored 22 points and Myron Carmon added 19 points for Belmont Abbey while Jacob Wilson chipped in 14 points. The Crusaders shot 37.7 percent from the floor.
The Falcons lead the season series 2-1 against the Crusaders. They won 93-65 in Belmont, N.C., on Dec. 17, 2014 and lost 61-53 in Raleigh, N.C., on Nov. 20, 2015.
This was the last non-conference game on the schedule for the Falcons, who resume CIAA play with a three-game road trip in five days starting Thursday, Jan. 4, 2018, against defending conference champion Bowie State University. Game time is 7:30 p.m. in Bowie, Md.
The Falcons currently lead the CIAA Southern Division with a league-best 3-0 conference mark.
