Rob Stone, the next big thing.

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*Virginia Military 96,**South Carolina State 88
1 2 OT T Final VMI (4-4) 50 46 96 SCST (5-3) 48 40 88	9:00 PM November 4, 2008 Smith-Hammond Center Orangeburg, SC

South Carolina State Student Courier, Sports Edition

The Bulldogs drop their third game, VMI too much to handle.

It was like the Boys in Red were just one step too slow down the stretch after holding their own for most of the game but fell off the radar with 2:31 to go in the game when Dale Carn went down and let the floodgates open. The Bulldogs were very good in the low block being able to beat out their man for rebounds and able to dunk for baskets. The post was certainly the best aspect of the team last night, and most of the credit goes to Dale Carn who had his redshirt burned earlier in the week because coach Stone saw an issue with wear and tear in the post having only 3 big men and a poor rotation. "We needed another body down there to help out, it really helps that Dale is a huge guy, I mean 6' 10 and lanky, he can do it all and as everyone say he can be really explosive. His best chance is the put back dunks and those really get our boys going." The VMI Keydets are known to be high scoring and being very good from three land, they proved those claims on Tuesday night by scoring fast and from long range with the Holmes twins being the leading scorers. South Carolina State will have to regroup and take on Savannah State who is comming off a big win against Florida A&M and two tough losses against Colorado (66-68) and 25 Wisconsin (81-75).

Game Stats

Bulldogs

Burton 2 points, 4 assist
Bennett 12 points, 3 steals, 1 block
Spencer 38 points, 4 rebounds, 2 bocks
Carter 4 points, 8 rebounds
Cobb 4 points, 14 rebounds

Bench:

Davis 2 points
Flagler 6 points, 2 rebounds
Carn 21 points, 10 rebounds

Keydates

Sparks 10 points, 7 assist
Holmes 25 points 3 rebounds
Holmes 18 points, 1 assist
Whiting 7 points, 3 rebounds, 2 bocks
Sargent 12 points, 8 rebounds

Bench

Brownfield 8 points, 11 rebounds
Kenon 4 points, 2 steals
Blosser 4 points

SCST is now 5-3 (1-0) and will play Savannah State 2-5 on Saturday November 8th in the Smith-Hammonds Arena.

[smidger9]

South Carolina State Student Courier, Sports Edition


The Bulldogs fall victim to surging Tigers, 69-64.

As the Courier recently reported Savannah State could be one of the best small college teams in the country and we saw why on Saturday night as the Tigers came to play in the Smith-Hammonds Center where they handed the Bulldogs their 4th loss. It seemed like all hope was lost before the game began when star SF Everett Spencer went down with a sprained ankle and was unable to practice this week and his playing time was limited, however he still managed to drop 29 points for the Bulldogs and keep the game close with two clutch 3 pointers with under a minute to go. Julius Carter and Dale Carn held down the paint by grabbing tough rebounds and fighting for blocked shots late in the game while David Cobb watched on the bench with 4 fouls. Chris Miller-Williams did not appear in this game due to a game time descion on his tardiness to practice this week and may not make the High Point game next Saturday.

Game Stats

Bulldogs


Burton 11 points, 3 rebounds, 9 assist
Bennett 11 points, 3 steals, 3 assist
Spencer 29 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assist
Carter 8 points, 6 rebounds
Cobb 0 points, 4 rebounds, 4 fouls

Bench:

Davis 0 points, 1 assist
Flagler 0 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal
Carn 5 points, 9 rebounds, 3 blocks

Tigers

Davila 7 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assist
Jones 15 points, 3 rebounds
Mitchell 15 points
Linton 7 points, 8 rebounds
Coleman 7 points, 10 rebounds

Bench
McKenzie 8 points, 2 blocks
Bailey 4 points, 6 rebounds
Williams 2 points, 2 assist



SCST is now 5-4 (1-0) and will play High Point on Saturday November 15th in the Millis Center..

[smidger9]

*South Carolina State 82,**High Point 91
1 2 T Final SCST (5-5) 32 50 82 HP (6-2) 50 41 91	9:00 PM November 15, 2008 Millis Center High Point, NC

South Carolina State Student Courier, Sports Edition

The Bulldogs lose third game in a row, 91-82.

"Sometimes your best just isn't enough." The quote rings like an echo from the heart of Coach Stone as he tells his teams to keep their heads high. "We played hard and we played well, they just couldn't miss. Its one of the most frustrating games to play when no matter what you do, from fouling, playing hard defense, or backing off, they still hit shots. It seemed like we were fighting an uphill battle from the tip-off." The Panthers shot over 50 % for the game and made all 20 free throws taken. PG David Singleton, who averages just under 4 points a game, lead all scorers with 22 points which is a career high. South Carolina State fought hard battling for the lead and taking the lead a few times but had to intentionally foul to try to save the game with under a minute. Carrio Bennett his 2 three pointers to take the lead with 1:34 but the Bulldogs would not score again in the game.

Game Stats

Bulldogs

Burton 13 points, 6 assist, 5 rebounds
Bennett 23 points, 1 steals
Spencer 28 points
Carter 6 points, 3 rebounds
Cobb 0 points, 7 rebounds

Bench:

Carn 9 points, 5 rebounds
Flagler 3 assist, 1 steal
Davis 3 points

Panthers

Singleton 22 points, 8 assist
Barbour 17 points
Morris 6 points, 2 blocks
Short 15 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks
Daniels 18 points, 13 rebounds

Bench

Harris 4 points
Huntington 5 points, 6 rebounds
Bridges 4 points


SCST is now 5-5 (1-0) and will face UNC-Asheville in the Smith-Hammonds Center.

[smidger9]

*North Carolina-Asheville 54,**South Alabama 71
1 2 OT T Final UNCA (4-4) 33 21 54 SCST (6-5) 38 33 71	6:00 PM November 17, 2008 Smith-Hammond Center Orangeburg, SC

South Carolina State Student Courier, Sports Edition

The Bulldogs end skid by knocking off UNC-A, 71-54.

"We played well, the defense stepped up and the offense took care of their part. It all came out for a wining effort. I'm always proud of my boys and I love how this season is shaping up to be a good one. Look at us play really gives you goosebumps at how scary we can be in conference play. I know there have been a few potholes in the road so far but its still early. We have a tough Out of Conference schedule in the next few weeks leading up to a good conference season and I think we will be in the top 3 maybe even the top team by March." Coach Stone told the SC State Courier after the game. One win and all the drama and emotion has come back, the buzz is back on campus and students are taking notice. The Boys in Red took car of business in the Safe confides of Smith-Hammonds on a late Monday night on local TV. Star Everett Spencer has an injured ankle, he only played 11 minutes of the game and may not play against SMU.

Game Stats

Bulldogs

Burton 15 points, 6 assist
Bennett 15 points, 5 rebounds
Spencer 10 points (Injured)
Carter 5 points, 8 rebounds
Cobb 11 points, 14 rebounds

Bench:

Carn 5 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assist
Flagler 10 points, 9 rebounds
Davis o points, 1 assist

Bulldogs

Primm 12 points, 4 asisst
Jones 7 points, 4 rebounds
Jackson 0 points, 3 rebounds
Turner 10 points, 4 rebounds
Kittrell 2 points, 7 rebounds

Bench

August 5 points, 3 rebounds (injured within a minute in the second half)
Dickey 5 points, 4 rebounds
Smith 11 points, 3 rebounds, 3 blocks

SCST is now 6-5 (1-0) and will face SMU in the Smith-Hammonds Center.

[smidger9]

South Carolina State Student Courier, Sports Edition

The Bulldogs take care of SMU 81-74.

"Their house, Their House, Their House" was the chant the lowly student section chanted before tip off but they could not have been more wrong about "their house" because SMU not only never lead but was never within 5 points of the Bulldogs. The Boys in Red came out with an arial assault that would make Texas Tech football proud. "We knew we couldn't bang it down low when we were over matched by size at every position. They started a line of 6'8, 6'4, 6'6, 6'10, 7'1. And at one point had three players 7' or taller on the court. We resorted to knocking down open looks and beating their bigs on the fast break. Thankfully we were on fire like a hot Texas day and lit up their scoreboard like you wouldn't believe." Coach Stone said cockily about his team after knocking of an SMU team that spent more time trash talking than playing basketball. The final score is not a good assessment of the actual beat down that occurred as the final 3 minutes of the game was filled with fouling and the Mustangs actually hitting shots brining a 24 point Bulldog lead down to only 7 at the buzzer. The final straw was with 3:12 to go in the final half where SMU only had 47 points and Coach Stone pulled the starters and they would not return, only Julius Carter played a majority of the last 3 minutes. Everett Spencer continues to lead the NCAA in points averaging over 30 a game and he dropped 36 on the Mustangs leading the way for the Bulldogs in Moody Coliseum.

Game Stats

Bulldogs

Burton 8 points, 10 rebounds, 5 steals
Bennett 3 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assist, 1 steal
Spencer 36 points, 2 assist
Carter 6 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assist, 1 block
Cobb 8 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal

Bench:

Carn 8 points, 3 rebounds
Flagler 12 points, 2 rebounds

Mustangs

Williams 15 points
Harp 16 pints, 2 rebounds
Otis 12 points, 4 assist
Faye 12 points, 1 block
Dia 8 points, 10 rebounds, 2 blocks

Bench:

McCoy 3 points, 2 assist
Malone 2 points, 2 rebounds
Walker 4 points, 4 assist
Nyakundi 5 rebounds


SCST is now 7-5 (1-0) and will take on JMU 4-5 in the Cougar Classic December 29th.

[smidger9]

SCST heads to the Cougar Classic in Charleston, SC.

South Carolina State Student Courier, Sports Edition

The Bulldogs are dropped by JMU, 72-66 in the Cougar Classic.

It was a game of two halves. The First was an SCST beat down on the Dukes where our boys could do no wrong, but in the second it was a new story where the Bulldogs couldn't pay the rim to make a bucket. "We had no inside presence. it was almost like we only started our guards out there. Something needs to change." Said a furious coach Stone before going into the locker room. As fast as the Bulldogs found their identity they have lost it again and it seems like the 4 game skid was no fluke. The Cougar Classic starts off with a somber note but the home town team will be back in action for redemption against out of conference rival Mercer.

Game Stats

Bulldogs

Burton 13 points, 3 assist, 4 fouls
Bennett 18 points, 4 fouls
Spencer 25 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assist
Carter 2 points, 8 rebounds
Cobb 2 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks

Bench:

Carn 6 points, 5 rebounds
Flagler 0 points, 1 steal
Miller-Williams 0 points, 1 rebounds
Davis 2 assist (0-4 from the field)

Dukes

Jalloh 11 points, 7 rebound, 8 assist
Posey 20 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assist
Sawnston 13 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assist
James 12 points, 6 rebounds
Parker 5 points, 9 rebounds

Bench:
Curtis 3 points, 4 assist
Ratner 9 points

SCST is now 7-6 (1-0) and will take on Mercer 4-5 in the Cougar Classic Second round in Charleston, SC, December 30th.

South Carolina State Student Courier, Sports Edition

The Bulldogs get revenge and take Third Place in the Cougar Classic.

Where the last game left the Bulldogs questioning and wanting a second chance the Second round against Mercer proved the Boys in Red know how to rebound from a tough loss. "We came out of the gate and just buried their team early, I think dropping 65 in the first half tells you all you need to know." Claimed Junior PG Jesse Burton. The team was hot from outside which is what coach Stone likes to see but still had trouble finding the presence in the post they wanted. "I have no idea what happened to those guys. Maybe they got the flu or something but we had a great three man rotation at the 4 and 5 and now its seems we cant buy a rebound or a basket from those guys. We were on from deep tonight but I would hate to be going up to James Madison with a similar performance next week and stinking up the joint. Our bigs will be working hard in practice, I hope they all score 30 points against the Dukes."

Game Stats

Bulldogs

Burton 17 points, 11 assist
Bennett 17 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assist
Spencer 37 points, 4 assist

Carter 7 points, 7 rebounds
Cobb 6 points, 6 rebounds

Bench:

Carn 2 points, 3 rebounds
Flagler 2 points, 1 rebound
Miller-Williams 0 points, 1 rebounds
Davis 8 points

Bears

Ellis 11 points
Florance 15 points
Mills 7 points, 3 rebounds
Henry 8 points, 3 rebounds
Corley 1 assist

Bench:
Hall 12 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist
Davis 6 points, 4 rebounds
Walker 1 point

SCST is now 8-6 (1-0) and will take on JMU 5-5 in Harrisburg, VA.

[smidger9]

South Carolina State Student Courier, Sports Edition


The Bulldogs get revenge and beat down James Madison 78- 63.

"When we were warming up we kept looking over there thinking, man, we just played these guys and lost in a stupid way...lets go out and get a big win in front of our fans and let them know we are the real deal and that they can support us. And, thats what we did, I think it set a good message to the conference that we weren't going to be a fluke." freshman guard Carrio Bennett had that to say about the rematch with JMU on Thursday night, the final out of conference game for the Bulldogs. Coach Stone was very loquacious after the win on the teams image and direction. "We played a really tough out of conference schedule, we played teams we were expect to lose to and we won those games. We played teams considered our equal and we ran them over. I don't want to sound cocky but I feel like we are the best team in our conference night in and night out, I'm sure we will take out lumps but I think we will come out on top more than we go down. I fear for out opponents from here on out. We can hit the three but we have the bigs to battle you down low. We are balanced and I think you will see this more in a few weeks to come."

Game Stats

Bulldogs

Burton 15 points, 4 rebounds, 3 fouls
Bennett 12 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assist
Spencer 29 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist
Carter 6 points, 5 rebounds
Cobb 4 points, 11 rebounds

Bench:

Carn 5 points, 3 rebounds, 4 blocks
Flagler 5 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal
Miller-Williams 2 rebounds
Davis 2 points

Dukes

Jalloh 11 points, 4 assist, 4 steals
Posey 24 points, 5 rebounds
Swanston 7 points, 3 rebounds
James 4 points, 1 rebounds
Parker 5 points, 9 rebounds

Bench
Ratner Injured without scoring (lead all scorers last meeting)
Kendall 3 points (1 minute of play)
Thorton 4 rebounds, 1 block


SCST is now 9-6 (1-0) and will take on Delaware State 1-12 to open conference play.

[smidger9]

December Wrap Up
South Carolina State Student Courier, Sports Edition


December was a roller-coaster for the Bulldogs as they had 4-4 record which included a 3 game losing streak. The team lost its identity and found a new one, we had a coach go mad, and we had a lot of fun in the process. It seems the love of basketball is back on campus in Orangeburg, something that hasn't happened in a long time. The Boyz played some tough competition this December, VMI, High Point, SMU and JMU are all mid major schools with winning records and we came out .500 with them which brings hope when we player "lesser" school of our own conference. But, you cannot put down the MEAC which is a conference on the verge of breaking out. There is a lot of talent and it will be an exciting month of basketball in South Carolina.

Statistics:

NCAA

Points
Everett Spencer SCST 30.5
Luke Harangody Notre Dame 27
Stefon Jackson UTEP 27
Demontez Stitt CLEM 26
Tyler Hansborough NC 25

Rebounds
Mickell Gladness AAMU 18.4
Jamal Breaux 13
Jack Liles 12.5
Lamar Sanders 12.2

Assist
Michael Redel 9
Ish Smith WFU 8;9
Rich Williams SDSU 8.1
Ron Moore Siena 8
Quantez Robertson AUB 8

MEAC

Points
Spencer SCST 30.5
Leslie Roinson FAMU 20
Steven Rush NCAT 19
Ed Tyson UMES 18

Rebounds
Boubscar Coly MORG 10
Mike Freeman 9
Chidi Okoli NORF 9
Kevan Creppy BCC 8.5


SCST Update

12/1 @ Winston-Salem State W 84-74
12/4 vs VMI L 101-88
12/8 vs Savannah St. L 69-64
12/15 @ High Point L 91-82
12/17 @ UNC-Asheville W 71-54
12/22 @ SMU W 81-74
12/29 James Madison L 72-66 *
12/30 Mercer W 96-60 *

*= Cougar Classic

[smidger9]

South Carolina State Student Courier, Sports Edition


The Bulldogs get second conference win crushing Delaware State, 70-40.

"Sometimes you just feel bad for the other team. I mean, its a conference game; but still we feel bad. You never wanna win by 30 points on a team you have to play twice a year." In a game where defense was not an issue the Bulldogs were able to really settle down and knock down the open shots given. "We really played them loose all game, most of their shots were off and I think they only shot 15% for the game. We didn't play great, but it works out in the end because it was a good refresher for us to get in sync as a team and try new lines for rotation." Coach Stone seemed cocky but excited about the teams future in conference play after a big win over Delaware State.

Game Stats

Bulldogs

Burton 9 points, 7 assist
Bennett 12 points
Spencer 26 points, 3 rebounds
Carter 6 point, 10 rebounds
Cobb 5 points, 7 rebounds, 1 block

Bench:

Carn 1 point, 2 rebounds
Flagler 7 points, 6 rebounds
Miller-Williams 4 points

Hornets

Mosley 5 points
Johnson 2 rebounds
Washington 11 points, 2 rebounds
Beverly 15 points, 3 rebounds, 1 block
Bright 2 points, 2 rebounds

Bench:

Sandidge 3 points, 6 rebounds
D'Agnostino 4 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assist
Neal 1 rebound


SCST is now 10-6 (2-0) and will take on Maryland Eastern Shore (2-14) Monday January 14th.

[smidger9]

[I]South Carolina State Student Courier, Sports Edition

The Bulldogs pull out third conference win late to beat UMES 88-80.[/i]

"We played a solid game but we were an evenly matched battle. Maryland Eastern Shore played us tight all game, they were in our shorts and made it hard to get open looks but in the second half our full court trap opened the court on turnovers and we were able to pop easy threes and lay ups all day. I think both teams were identical down the stretch, both shooting 43% and hitting 33 shots, the only difference is the 5 three pointers we made late to push them out." The team looked in good form, most of the guys were really clicking and the exceptional play of Everett Spencer helped the home team get another big conference win after a rough December.


Game Stats

Bulldogs

Davis 18 points, 2 rebounds, 6 assist
Bennett 10 points, 3 rebounds, 2 rebounds
Spencer 36 points, 5 rebounds
Carter 6 points, 6 rebounds
Cobb 9 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks

Bench:

Carn 2 points, 5 rebounds
Flagler 3 points, 1 assist
Miller-Williams 2 rebounds
Burton 4 points, 4 assist, 3 steals

Hawks

Davis 14 points, 10 assist
Tyson 16 points, 4 assist
Krleski 18 points, 4 assist, 3 steals, 3 rebounds
McFadden 5 points, 7 rebounds
Popovic 10 points, 10 rebounds

Bench:
Dunston 13 points, 4 rebounds
Nimocks 2 points, 5 rebounds
Moore 2 points


SCST is now 11-6 (3-0) and will take on Hampton 6-7 (1-1).