BLUFFTON, SOUTH CAROLINA – The University of South Carolina Beaufort men's basketball team saw its five-game winning streak snapped Monday afternoon, falling 114–112 to Fayetteville State at The Cove on Novant Health Court.
The Sand Sharks dropped to 13–5 on the season with the loss, while Fayetteville State improved to 11–6.
Evan Kilminster led USCB with a team-high 27 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, and two steals. He was one of four Sand Sharks to score in double figures, joined by Qurahn Anderson with 23 points, Dominic Eason with 18, and Nolan Paladugu with 12.
Fayetteville State opened the scoring with a three-pointer and scored the first five points of the game. Eason put USCB on the board with a three, cutting the deficit to 5–3.
Five minutes into the opening half, the Broncos extended their lead to 15–7 before an 11–1 Sand Sharks run over the next three minutes gave USCB its first lead of the afternoon, 18–16. The surge was capped by a three from Lukas Platauna and a layup from Eason, who scored four points during the run.
After trading baskets, Fayetteville State regained momentum and built a five-point lead before Kilminster and Eason hit back-to-back three-pointers to pull the Sand Sharks within one. The Broncos responded with a 12–1 run to take a 41–29 advantage with five minutes remaining in the half.
Fayetteville State pushed its lead to as many as 16 at 49–33 before Anderson halted the run. USCB closed the half on an 11–4 stretch to trim the deficit to 10 points. The Sand Sharks cut the margin to seven, but a layup at the buzzer gave the Broncos a 53–44 lead at halftime.
Paladugu opened the scoring in the second half as both teams combined for over 60 points in an offensive battle. Fayetteville State extended its lead back to 13 before Kilminster stopped the run. A 7–0 USCB burst pulled the Sand Sharks within four at 66–62 following a Seth Cullen layup assisted by Shea Champine.
Another run, highlighted by consecutive three-pointers from Kilminster and Eason and capped by a Champine layup, put USCB back in front, 72–71. The final 13 minutes featured back-and-forth action, with Anderson tying the game at 75–75 on a driving layup with 12:49 remaining.
After the score was knotted at 81–81, Ismail Rashid converted a floating layup to give USCB the lead. The Sand Sharks scored six straight to go up 87–81, but Fayetteville State answered with its own six-point run to tie the game at 87–87 with 9:13 left.
The game remained tight down the stretch, tied at 96–96 in the final six minutes. Fayetteville State reached the century mark first, taking a 100–99 lead on a layup. Kilminster later tied the game at 107–107 with 2:37 remaining.
The Broncos regained the lead at 109–108 on a hook shot and held the advantage the rest of the way. Fayetteville State led 113–110 late, and although USCB cut the deficit to one multiple times in the final two minutes, the Broncos sealed the 114–112 win with a defensive stand on the final possession.
USCB returns home Saturday afternoon to face the University of South Carolina Aiken, closing out the season series. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:30 p.m., following the women's game at 1:30 p.m.
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