Location: Senators Tip Off Classic - Morristown, TN
Updated Record: 1-1
The CFCC Men's Basketball team opened their season in Tennessee this past weekend where they competed in the Senators Tipoff Classic. The Sea Devils played both Friday and Saturday where they were challenged by two worthy opponents that kept the Sea Devils honest throughout the weekend. After a close loss on Friday, the team managed to keep a short-term memory and managed to persevere through Saturday's matchup - ending the weekend at an even 1-1.
Friday, November 5th vs. Walters State Community College
Score: CFCC 67. Walters State 73
In Short: The Sea Devils ended their first matchup of the season with an unfortunate loss, but were able to string together short moments of improvement throughout the game against the Senators.
Highlights: CFCC arrived at the Senators Tip Off Classic ready to compete and anticipated being challenged by the Walters State Senators. With a deep bench and a locked-in defensive strategy, the Senators made it difficult for the Sea Devils to get shots up in the paint throughout the game. While the Sea Devils' attempts to run the ball and power through the Senators' defensive pursuits were fairly successful in the beginning of the game, they were unable to sustain that momentum throughout both halves and ultimately ran out of gas to keep pushing with that level of physicality on the floor.
The Sea Devils shared the wealth on the court with Talton Jones (Soph.), Jikari Johnson (Fr.), and Ja'Juan Carr (Fr.) all earning 15 points each. While the Sea Devils have their work cut out for them at the three-point line (6-22) and ended the game with 13 turnovers, they kept the Senators' lead under 10 points throughout and took the lead over Walters State numerous times in the first half. After a game full of give-and-take for the lead, the Senators finished with a narrow win as the Sea Devils began their preparation for the next game
Saturday, November 6th vs. Motlow State Community College
Score: CFCC 79, Motlow State 70
In Short: The Sea Devils took the court reinvigorated as they defeated the Wotlow State Bucks in an all-out team effort to finish the weekend strong.
Highlights: After a hard-fought game the day before, the Sea Devils came together as a team to fix previous mistakes and take control of the game vs the Motlow State Bucks early on. While the Bucks were reliant on a few key starters to make plays throughout the game, the Sea Devils shared the responsibility of ball control and defensive communication to keep the Bucks on their toes the entire time. The team was also able to utilize the diverse skillsets of players coming off the bench to keep the Sea Devils in the lead and keep the Bucks on guard and alert.
AJ Thompson (Fr.) and Daniel Ransom (Fr.) lead the team with 14 points each, while BJ Comer (Fr.) and Akhiris Holden (Fr.) gave their teammates the support they needed off the bench. Overall, the team communicated well throughout the game and strung together enough positive combinations on the court to triumph over the Motlow State Bucks. With strong teamwork and work ethic at the forefront of Saturday's game, the Sea Devils look forward to returning home and continuing to make steps in the right direction this season.
Up Next: The Sea Devils will open their first set of home matchups in the Schwartz Center for the Cape Fear Classic this Friday, November 12th at 7:00 PM
