Game 1: Friday | White explodes for 24 in Men's Basketball's win over NC Central
A season-high 24 points - and the first 20-point effort in a Georgia Southern uniform for Nakavieon White - led men's basketball (3-1) to a win over NC Central (0-4) in the first game of the Rock Hill Classic.
"I have been involved with a lot of these [MTEs], and man, you really want to win that first one, so it's good to get the first one," head coach Charlie Henry said. "I would have liked to close it out better when we built the lead. We'll turn our attention towards Winthrop and try to get a great win tomorrow."
It was a low-scoring affair early on, but White's first triple of the contest gave the Eagles a 7-6 lead at the under-16. Both teams traded buckets until a pair of Micah Smith free throws made it a 17-14 advantage at 8:57.
White extended his point total to 13 before a pair of Adante' Holiman three-balls gave the Eagles their first ten-point lead of the night.
NCCU cut it back to three over the next three minutes. Holiman sunk two of three free throws to push the Eagles' lead back to six heading into the locker room. White extended his point total to 20 in the first half.
GS stormed to a 7-0 run out of the break. Eugene Brown III's layup at 17:42 made the spread 13 points, the largest the Eagles had.
The team stretched the lead to as much as 16 thrice in the second frame, the last of which came on a White jumper at 6:11.
NCCU crept to within six points after knocking down a three, but Holiman's clutch free throws sealed the deal with the Eagles winning 80-75, their third 80-point effort in the first four games of the season.
The Eagles shot an even 50 percent from the field including 58 percent in the second half.
White's 24 points and six boards led the Eagles, his first 20-point effort at the Division I level. He is averaging 15 points per game over the last three games.
"My teammates believing in me is the main reason I am having success," he said. "They believe in what I'm capable of and I believe in myself. Coach is putting me in a great position to do what I'm capable of and what I'm best at, and having the trust of my teammates to do so is huge."
Holiman (15), Avantae Parker (12) and Bradley Douglas (10) all reached double figures, with Douglas and Holiman continuing their streak of double-digit scoring efforts. Eren Banks had four assists and Parker led the way with three steals.
The Eagles are 3-1 and have scored 80 or more three times through the first three games, both for the first time since the 2021-22 season.
Game 2: Saturday | Holiman scores career-high, Men’s Basketball fends off late charge and wins wild one at Winthrop
A quarterback pass and hold from Eugene Brown III to Dontae Horne with one second left and a two-point lead pushed Georgia Southern men's basketball (4-1) to a nail-biting win over Winthrop (3-2) on Saturday night.
"We wanted to come out and get a great win against a great team in Winthrop, and we're fortunate to have done that," head coach Charlie Henry said. "We withstood a lot of things down the stretch; some of it out of our control and some of it self-inflicted. I'd rather learn on a night like this where we win than feeling miserable if we didn't hold on."
The Eagles found the going rough early on, going the opening 5:08 without a field goal before Avantae Parker cashed in an offensive rebound.
Finding their footing following the first field goal, Adante' Holiman knocked down a three and Nakavieon White scored a lay-in off a fastbreak for the first lead of the day at 13-10.
Winthrop took the lead back, stretching it to five, however, the Eagles kept it within arm's length. Officially taking the lead back, Holiman sunk both free throws after a technical foul by Winthrop. Horne pushed it to three with a nice finish, leading 25-22.
Tied at 34 with a minute left, the Eagles got a pair of clutch buckets - Micah Smith flew for a layup and Eren Banks nailed a three with a hand in his face, pushing the lead to 39-34 heading into the break.
Coming out of the half, the Eagles extended their lead to eight. Tyson Brown and White both had quick layups, and Bradley Douglas ran down the floor to make it a 48-38 lead.
The Eagles extended the advantage in the coming minutes. White and Banks both scored, making it a 13-point lead, which was the largest for either side. GS led 80-67 with a little over six minutes remaining.
Winthrop mounted a late charge in crunch time as the Eagles got into foul trouble. After a turnover at center court, the home team surged to within one but never overtook the Eagles. Brown III's heave to Horne sealed the deal as the Eagles earned a gutsy 89-87 win.
Holiman exploded for a career-high 23 points including 10-11 from the line, the first Eagle to make ten free throws in a game this season.
"It's not going to be my night every night, and it'll probably be someone else's tomorrow," Holiman said. "My teammates have been finding me and coach has been drawing up a lot of great plays."
White (15), Horne (11) and Banks (10) all crossed the double-digit threshold in the victory. Brown III led the team with eight boards, while Douglas filled the stat sheet with eight points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals.
The Eagles are 4-1 for the first time since the 2021-22 season and have a chance to finish off a perfect MTE on Sunday against William & Mary.
Game 3: Sunday | Men's Basketball drops Rock Hill Classic finale
Despite going on a 16-2 run to close the first half and make it a three-point game, Georgia Southern men's basketball (4-2) dropped Sunday's contest to William & Mary (2-2) 102-87, finishing the Rock Hill Classic 2-1.
The Tribe and Eagles battled close for the first few minutes, with Nakavieon White finishing off an and-one opportunity after the under-16 to lead 8-7. Nate Brafford sunk a three to stretch the lead to 13-10 at 14:18.
The Eagles' last lead came at 13:44 in the first half. After a Braylhan Thomas steal and Micah Smith tip-in to knot it at 18, the Tribe went on a 15-2 run, extending the lead to as much as 15 with a little over four minutes remaining.
GS responded with a mad dash over the remaining four minutes, recording a 16-4 run as a response. Bradley Douglas sprinted for a lay-up to cut the deficit to 48-45 at halftime.
William & Mary quelled the Eagles' rally coming out of the locker room, stretching the lead back to double-digits again, leading by 13 at 15:04.
A Brafford drive and core capped off a quick 7-0 run to get back to within four, which the Eagles did again at 8:05, but never made it closer for the remainder of the game. William & Mary took the first-ever meeting between these two teams 102-87.
White continued his hot week of play, scoring a career-best 25 in the loss, also leading the team in rebounds (6) and assists (2). Brafford (11) and Adante' Holiman (10) also scored in double figures with Micah Smith contributing career highs of seven points and six rebounds.
GS will close down Hanner Fieldhouse on Saturday, November 23, against West Georgia.
