NEWBERRY, S.C. – The Coker College men's basketball team used a second half surge to push themselves past the Erskine College Flying Fleet 74-63 Saturday (Nov. 11) night in the SAC/Conference Carolinas Challenge. The Navy and Gold outscored Erskine 41-31 in the second half of action to secure their first victory of the season.
In a back and forth start of the first half, the Cobras created separation on the scoreboard with five consecutive points to take a 22-17 lead with 8:43 remaining. The five-point run was created by a three-point play from Demarco Jackson and two free throws from Khalil Halls.
The Cobras and the Flying Fleet exchanged scores for the duration of the first half, and Coker took a 33-32 lead into the locker rooms.
Trailing 39-38 early in the second half, the Navy and Gold regained a 45-39 lead from seven consecutive points. Nathan Lemke began the run with a layup, followed by a Halls three ball and layup.
Next, Erskine battled back once again and knotted the score up at 57 apiece. However, Coker answered with eight-straight points to take a 65-57 lead with 7:49 remaining. Dakota Jennings, Chase Brewington, Brandon Stroman, and Halls all contributed to the eight unanswered points.
After taking an eight-point lead, the Cobras never looked back as they continued to pull away from the Flying Fleet for the victory.
Offensively, the Cobras were led by Halls, who recorded a team-best 25 points. Donte Samuels collected a team-high 11 rebounds, while adding eight points on the offensive end.
The Cobras will be back in action on Tuesday (Nov. 14) when they compete against Emmanuel in their home opener. Opening tip is set for 7 p.m.