In Short: Cape Fear Men's Basketball battled in two intense matchups, but fell short to both Hagerstown and Harford during the Tyrek Coger Classic.

Highlights:

Cape Fear Men's Basketball took the floor on Friday and Saturday night to kick off their home opener, the Tyrek Coger Classic, in celebration of the life of the former Men's Basketball player - as well as an effort to spread awareness about heart health for student-athletes.

Friday night's matchup was high-energy as Cape Fear made it a point to push the pace, but also make calculated decisions along the way. Keishon Porter led the charge offensively with 17 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 steals. Porter played a key role in keeping the tempo high and getting aggressive in the paint.

Returner AJ Thompson was also a driving offensive force, making 4 out of 5 free throws coupled with 3 rebounds and 3 3-pointers.

Cape Fear finished the half up 32-29 and continued to fight for every point, but the Harford Owls were able to capitalize on a few key offensive opportunities and defensive errors from the Sea Devils. The atmosphere was electric in the Schwartz Center as both teams went back and forth with 1 and 2 point leads towards the end of the second half. Unfortunately for the Sea Devils, the Owls were able to finish strong and lock things down defensively to finish the matchup with a 3 point lead.

"Our free throws and second-chance points were our downfall tonight," says Head Coach Mark Lane. "Moving forward, we need to be able to hit free throws in those kinds of close games."

Moving on to Saturday afternoon, the Hawks started off strong with an initial lead that the Sea Devils struggled to close. Keishon Porter led the team offensively once again with 20 points, while Sophomore Daniel Ransom followed up with 11 points and 9 rebounds.

Cape Fear lit a fire under themselves in the second half and were able to recover - working together cohesively and pushing the pace in transition. The Sea Devils trailed by only 10 points for most of the second half, but eventually ran out of gas and were unable to recover to finish the game with a win.

"Another tough one we let slip. Making free throws and getting consecutive stops down the stretch is important," remarked Head Coach Mark Lane. "Need to stay the course moving into Wednesday's game. Solid performances by Jaden Scriven and Daniel Ransom to close it out."

Up Next: The Sea Devils will host Central Carolina on Wednesday, November 16th at 6 PM in the Schwartz Center.