Wilmington, NC (February 26, 2024) - Cape Fear Men's Basketball took the floor on Saturday afternoon against Region 10 Conference opponent, the Spartanburg Methodist College Pioneers. Cape Fear currently holds the #4 spot in the conference rankings, while Spartanburg Methodist stands right behind Richard Bland at #6. After battling through an intense overtime period, the Sea Devils eventually fell to the Pioneers 88-93.

Cape Fear started off the first half strong as both teams were tied 33-33. Knoah Carver got hot early from the 3-point line with 12 of his 17 points being from behind the arc. However, SMC's size in the paint posed a challenge for the Sea Devils that was difficult to navigate on both sides of the floor. While the Sea Devils struggled at first to make baskets in their well-executed offensive plays throughout the half, they continued to fight and snagged a 15-point lead immediately in the second half of play.

Truman Claytor led the Sea Devils in scoring with 19 points, while Moses Tufts' fortitude pushed back against SMC's center with 10 rebounds and 13 points. Avion Pinner also kept the Sea Devils alive under the basket with 17 points and 5 rebounds.

The Pioneers went on a run late in the second half and began exposing the Sea Devils in the paint - evening up the score as the game carried into overtime. While the effort was there from the entirety of the Cape Fear team, they struggled to finish and ultimately fell to a 5-point deficit to decide the game.

"We need to learn how to play with a lead and keep it," says Head Coach Mark Lane. "It's important to implement fixes quickly so that our opponents aren't given the opportunity to capitalize on our mistakes - especially on our home court."

CFCC Men's Basketball will travel to Bolivia, NC on Wednesday, February 28th to take on the Brunswick Dolphins at 7 PM for their final away matchup of the regular season.