HARTSVILLE, S.C. – The Coker College men's basketball team fell to the North Greenville University Crusaders on Friday (Nov. 11) by a score of 87-74. 

North Greenville stormed out of the gates with back-to-back three in the opening two minutes to take a 6-0 lead. The Cobras began to show signs of life over the next two minutes, mounting a 10-2 run and taking a 10-8 at the 16-minute mark. Coker continued the sharp shooting, taking a 25-20 lead into the final 10 minutes of the half. The back and forth trend continued, as North Greenville staged a 10-1 run over the next three minutes to take a 30-26 lead with under seven minutes left. The two teams went back and forth in the final seven minutes, leaving the Crusaders with a 44-40 lead going into the locker rooms at halftime.

A 8-4 Coker advantage in the opening three minutes, left the game tied at 48 with 17 minutes to go in the second half. North Greenville pulled ahead over the next four minutes, claiming a 62-50 lead with 13:36 to go. A JaQuez Motley made jumper at the 7:58 mark capped off a Coker 17-4 run and and gave the Cobras a 67-66 lead. The two sides traded baskets, leaving the matchup tied at 74-74 with 5:30 left. The Crusaders finished on a 13-0 run to capture the 87-74 win.

Motley led the way for the Navy and Gold, scoring 19 points off the bench. The senior shot 7-11 from the field, including 4-7 from three. Jalal Abdul-Azeez rounded out the double-digit scorers for Coker, finishing with 14 points on 6-12 shooting.

The Cobras will be back in action tomorrow (Nov. 12) at 2 p.m., when they take on Erskine College.