Whoever can figure out the fixes best is bound to leave the Asheville Championship with a victory when South Carolina takes on Western Kentucky.
They meet in a consolation game Sunday in Asheville, N.C., and both teams are looking for answers after each suffered their first defeats of the season Friday.
Western Kentucky (1-1) tumbled to Minnesota. South Carolina (1-1) came up short against Princeton.
“I know we’ve got new pieces and we’ve got to get better and learn from that,” Western Kentucky coach Rick Stansbury said.
The bright side for the Hilltoppers came from Dayvion McKnight, who poured in a career-high 34 points, including 28 in the second half.
According to information from Western Kentucky, McKnight became the 13th player nationally since 2010 to record at least 34 points, nine rebounds, four assists and four steals.
“Playing with my teammates, I’m just trying to find those open spots and get to the free-throw line as much as I can,” said McKnight, who was 13-for-14 on free throws.
Western Kentucky nearly came all the way back from a 16-point hole before falling 73-69. The Hilltoppers doubled their point production in the second half after being held to 23 points in the first half.
“There’s no moral victories, but I’m proud of the fight in them,” Stansbury said.
South Carolina was unable to protect a 10-point lead, falling 66-62 to Princeton.
“In the second half, we pressed a little bit to make shots,” South Carolina coach Frank Martin said. “We have to have a presence from our bigs.”
Collecting 19 offensive rebounds should have meant more chances for getting to the free-throw line after taking 14 foul shots in the Princeton game. That’s where the Gamecocks will aim to upgrade their level of aggression after going only 4-of-26 from 3-point range.
“You have to find other ways to win the game,” Martin said.
Martin will also be looking for more two-way versatility.
“The guys I’ve got coming off the bench are really young and struggled defensively,” he said.
For Stansbury, Sunday’s game will pit him against a former Southeastern Conference rival. He previously spent 14 seasons as Mississippi State’s coach.
–Field Level Media
