SWANNANOA, NC - On Thursday night, the Owls hosted North Greenville, an NCAA Division 2 team and member of the Conference Carolinas. This was the Owls second consecutive game against a Division 2 foe.
In Tuesday's game, the Owls were in control and led on the scoreboard for nearly the entire first 10 minutes of the game against Erskine College. Eventually, Erskine's size and tough shot making got them some separation and a win over the Owls.
The Owls brought it for all 40 minutes against North Greenville.
Slim Hines started the action with a quick two for Warren Wilson, North Greenville answered with a three, and the competitive back and forth was underway. The thriller of a game saw 4 ties and 11 lead changes.
Daishaun Handy's three-pointer with 14 minutes to go put the Owls up five, equaling the largest lead either team would have in the first half. After a Handy three missed at the horn, the Owls went into the half down three to the Trailblazers.
Slim Hines started the scoring again in the second half. Hines' opening two buckets put the Owls back on top, 44-43. After teams traded baskets, Slim continued his scoring with a dunk to put the Owls back up one with just under 16 minutes to go.
After a short run by the Trailblazers, Slim found the bucket again, this time with a three to tie the game with under 10 minutes to play. Shortly after, though, the Trailblazers got hot from three point range, at one point making four consecutive threes to gain a double digit lead. The timely shooting from North Greenville was enough to keep them in front for the remainder of the game, despite the Owls getting the deficit to within two possessions in the final minute.
Slim finished with a game high 19 points, 14 of which came in the second half. Freshman guard,
Jakorri Arnold, got his fourth start of the season and was the second leading scorer in the game with 17 points to go along with an electrifying three blocks.
Nas Cotton, a Junior Forward, left his imprint all over the game with 12 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and a block. The Owls were also paced by another Freshman guard,
Peyton Gonzales. Gonzales' floor game was instrumental for the Owls all evening as he tallied 7 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 block.
The Owls will be back in action Saturday when they travel to South Carolina to play Bob Jones University.
