BLUFFTON, SOUTH CAROLINA – The University of South Carolina Beaufort men's basketball team faced the Flagler College Saints to open the Peach Belt Conference quarterfinals on Wednesday evening. The Saints used a 7-0 run to take a lead midway through the first half to take a 10 point lead before closing out the win over the Sand Sharks 83-70.
The Sand Sharks were led in scoring by Nolan Paladugu with 21 points on seven made shots. Hudson Norton finished with 11 points, three rebounds, one assist and one steal. Dominic Eason recorded a team-high seven rebounds.
Flagler opened the scoring with the first two points before Dominic Eason put the Sand Sharks on the board. The two teams battled back and forth in the opening minutes, going point for point as the game was tied at 6–6. Shea Champine scored the next five points for the Sand Sharks, cutting into the deficit following a Flagler run to make it 14–11 with 14:37 left in the first half.
A 7–0 Flagler run pushed the Saints' lead to double digits at 21–11 with 12:26 left to play in the opening half. Nolan Paladugu ended the run with his first points of the game. The Saints held a double-digit lead until Paladugu hit his first three-pointer of the game to cut the deficit to eight points at 29–21 with 7:39 left in the half.
Paladugu led the way for the Sand Sharks in the opening half, finishing with 10 points after hitting his second three-pointer of the half, assisted by Kilminster, sending the Sand Sharks into the break down by eight. Flagler led 40–32 through the opening 20 minutes.
In the second half, Paladugu opened the scoring with two points in the opening seconds. Kilminster followed with a putback basket as the Sand Sharks pulled within four points. Flagler responded with a 7–0 run to take a 47–36 lead, pushing the advantage back to 11.
Kevaughn Price helped bring the Sand Sharks back within single digits as he and Ismail Rashid combined for four points in a one-minute stretch, cutting the deficit to 51–42. However, a 14–5 Flagler run extended the Saints' lead to 18 points at 65–47 with 11:54 remaining in the second half.
After several back-and-forth possessions, the deficit remained at 18 until the 6:44 mark, when a 10–0 Sand Sharks run, sparked by five points from Hudson Norton and three forced turnovers, cut the deficit to eight. Flagler responded, stretching the lead back to 10 points before closing out the 83–70 victory over the Sand Sharks in the Peach Belt Conference quarterfinals.
The Sand Sharks on the season are 19–10 record. The Peach Belt Conference Tournament continues with the semifinals on Saturday followed by the championship on Sunday.
