FLORENCE, SOUTH CAROLINA – The Sand Sharks men's basketball team opened the season with a convincing 20-point victory over Emory & Henry. USC Beaufort used a dominant 59-point second half to pull away and secure a 100–80 win to start the season.
USC Beaufort begins the year 1–0 for the third straight season, while Emory & Henry drops to 0–1.
The Sand Sharks were led in scoring by Dominic Eason, who shot an efficient 7–9 from the field and totaled 20 points in the season opener. He was one of five Sand Sharks to score in double figures, joined by Ismail Rashid, Dylan Lewis, Evan Kilminster, and Nolan Paladugu. The team recorded 21 assists on 33 made shots, paced by Kilminster's five assists. Rashid brought down a team-high seven rebounds.
Eason opened the 2025 scoring for the Sand Sharks with a layup off an assist from Evan Kilminster. Kevaughn Price added back-to-back baskets, with each of the team's first four made shots coming off assists. Emory & Henry kept pace early, taking a 7–6 lead into the first media timeout.
The teams were tied 10–10 with 12:44 remaining in the first half before the Sand Sharks broke the game open with a 12–0 run, capped by a Lewis three-pointer off an assist from Aiden Fitzgerald. Lewis accounted for five points during the run, giving USCB the first double-digit lead of the afternoon at 20–10.
The Wasps chipped away, cutting the lead to 26–21, before USC Beaufort pushed the margin back to 33–25 following an Eason layup heading into the final media timeout of the first half.
After the lead was trimmed to 38–35, the Sand Sharks responded with a three-point play by Lukas Platauna, who finished through contact and converted the foul shot to take a 41–35 advantage into halftime.
Both teams traded baskets early in the second half before USCB extended the lead to 51–41 on a Kilminster three-pointer assisted by Fitzgerald. The Sand Sharks maintained their double-digit lead throughout the half, pushing the margin to 60–44 after consecutive baskets from Rashid.
USCB continued to control the game, stretching the lead to 20 following two Price free throws. Fitzgerald made it a 21-point advantage after a steal by Rashid led to a fast-break score.
The Sand Sharks' largest lead reached 27 points on a Fitzgerald three-pointer assisted by Platauna. USC Beaufort closed out the 100–80 victory behind a defense that forced 17 turnovers, leading to 31 points off takeaways, and a bench that contributed 45 points.
USC Beaufort continues its opening weekend in Florence South Carolina with a 4:00 PM matchup against Francis Marion on Saturday afternoon.
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