BLUFFTON, SOUTH CAROLINA – The University of South Carolina Beaufort men's basketball team hosted UNC Pembroke for its season opener on Military Appreciation Night in front of a sold-out crowd. USCB battled to an eight-point victory, using a strong opening half to build an 11-point lead at the break before closing out the 104-96 win.
USCB is now 1-0 for the fourth consecutive season following the victory.
The Sand Sharks had five players score in double figures, led by Ismail Rashid with 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Jordon Nevill, Nolan Paladugu, Israel Eatman, and Shea Champine also finished in double figures. Robert Guishard and Ryan Turner led the team with five rebounds each, while Paladugu paced the team with four assists.
The Braves were first on the board about two minutes into the game with a driving layup to take a 2-0 lead before Champine answered with a layup to even the score for the Sand Sharks. Champine scored the first four points for USCB before Nevill hit a three-pointer off an assist from Champine as the Sand Sharks trailed 8-7 through the opening four minutes.
Paladugu tied the game at 10-10, and USCB later evened the score at 12-12 before UNC Pembroke scored six straight points to build an 18-12 lead. The Braves maintained their six-point advantage before Champine finished a dunk off a turnover, drew the foul, and converted the three-point play. USCB battled back to tie the game at 23-23 following points from Nevill before Rashid gave the Sand Sharks their first lead of the game at 28-27 with a layup.
USCB then had its best stretch of the half, going on a 13-0 run over a two-minute span to build a double-digit lead. Rashid scored six points during the run, while Hudson Norton added three. The USCB defense forced four turnovers during the stretch as the lead grew to 37-27 with 6:57 remaining in the half.
The Sand Sharks held a double-digit lead for the majority of the remainder of the opening half. A Caden Douglass layup, assisted by Champine, pushed the lead back to 54-43 in the closing seconds as USCB headed into the locker room with an 11-point advantage.
Eatman got the Sand Sharks off to a strong start in the second half, knocking down a three-pointer on the opening possession following an offensive rebound by Ryan Turner, who kicked the ball out to Eatman to push the lead to 14. USCB extended its advantage to 15 twice in the opening minutes of the second half, but UNC Pembroke battled back with an 11-0 run to cut the deficit to four at 64-60.
Eatman stopped the run with a three-pointer to make it 67-60. The Braves continued to battle back, getting as close as three points with 6:50 remaining in the game at 83-80. However, another Sand Shark three-pointer, this time from Nevill, pushed the lead back to six following his 15th point of the game.
Rashid helped stretch the lead back to eight at 96-88 with a layup with three minutes remaining. The advantage grew to as many as 11 before USCB sealed the 104-96 victory with two points from Tyson Wilson to close out the opening-night win.
The Sand Sharks return to the court Friday at The Cove, hosting the Regional Challenge with a 5:30 p.m. tip-off against Eckerd College before closing out the weekend against Francis Marion.
Stay tuned to uscbathletics.com and follow Sand Shark Athletics on social media for the latest news, updates, and information.
