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Turner King's double-double leads the way as H-SC claims second straight win HAMPDEN-SYDNEY, VA (January 14, 2008)—The recent frustrations against Virginia Wesleyan were bound to come to an end sooner or later. Turner King (Roanoke, VA/Roanoke Catholic) and the Tigers made sure that the five-game regular season losing streak to the Marlins ended right away. King turned in his second double-double of the season with 22 points and 10 rebounds as Hampden-Sydney (7-7, 2-3 ODAC) earned an impressive 72-59 victory over Virginia Wesleyan (9-6, 3-3 ODAC), halting the Marlins' six game winning streak. It was the Tigers' first win over Virginia Wesleyan in the regular season since November 30, 2005 and just the second win for H-SC against the Marlins in their past seven meetings. Hampden-Sydney's smothering defensive pressure took its toll in the latter stages of the game, as the Tigers turned a narrow 28-26 lead at the 19:39 mark of the second half into a 40-30 edge at 14:37. Then, with King on the bench for a breather, Hampden-Sydney embarked on a 12-0 spurt over a span of three minutes to push the lead to its greatest of the game, 52-36 with 10:48 remaining. From that point on, the Marlins did not climb closer than eight, as Hampden-Sydney kept Virginia Wesleyan at bay with 23-of-27 foul shooting and a 37-24 advantage on the glass. Hampden-Sydney improved to 6-2 when leading at halftime, but needed a key 11-0 first half run to snag the advantage at the break. The Marlins appeared to be on the right track in the opening frame when Quinton McDuffie canned a jumper to give Virginia Wesleyan an 18-13 lead with 7:38 to play in the first. But Byron Lawton (High Point, NC/Wesleyan) nailed a deep triple as the shot clock expired to trigger the 11-0 scoring spree, which culminated with a King layup and 24-18 edge at the 4:58 mark. The Tigers led 28-24 at the half. King nearly notched his double-double in the first half, tallying eight points and eight rebounds before the break. King and Shane Payne (Weston, FL/Sagemont) were the only two Tigers to grab a rebound over the first 12-plus minutes of the game. Hampden-Sydney held Virginia Wesleyan to 39.7 percent shooting for the game, 33.3 percent in the first half, and surrendered just 10 free throws to the aggressive Marlins. Two of the Marlins' offensive leaders, Stephen Fields and Norman Hassell, were held to 10 and six points, respectively. Hassell, a 6-5 forward, grabbed just one rebound. Lane Medlin (West Point, VA/Fork Union) tied a career-high with 14 points and Ben Jessee (Midlothian, VA/Cosby) added 11 for his fifth consecutive game scoring in double figures. Payne collected 10 rebounds and Lawton dished out a season-high six helpers in the win. McDuffie, just a freshman, led the Marlins with 19 points and nine rebounds in 36 minutes of action. Terrell Dixon chipped in with 11 points, hitting 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. Hampden-Sydney returns to action Saturday, January 17 when it hosts Bridgewater College at 2 pm. www.hsc.edu/athletics |
