Sophomore John Fraley notched his first career double-double in leading APSU men’s basketball team to a come-from-behind, 69-67 win against Niagara in the final game of the Glenn Wilkes Classic in Daytona, Fla., Sunday, Nov. 22, at the Ocean Center.
The Govs improve to 2-3 overall and finish the Glenn Wilkes Classic with a 2-2 record—both wins in a similar comeback fashion—after an 80-77 win over Akron last Sunday, Nov. 22. It was head coach Dave Loos’ 398th career win, leaving him only two shy of 400. APSU was led by sophomore Anthony Campbell’s game-high 19 points, while Fraley added 16 points and 11 rebounds. Sophomore Marcel Williams had 12 points, but none bigger than his final bucket with four seconds left that proved to be the game-winner.
After chipping away at Niagara’s lead throughout the second half, the Govs found themselves in a position to win it, tied at 65-65, with 1:44 to play. A botched possession, which saw Fraley pick up an offensive foul, gave way to a defensive stop when Niagara’s Rob Garrison was forced into a shot on the other end. Campbell put the Govs up, 67-65 when he rounded a screen and banked a 19-foot jumper from the top of the key with 35 seconds to play.
Niagara answered, putting 2008 All-Metro-Atlantic pick Bilal Benn in a one-on-one situation for a difficult jumper to tie it up at 67 with 23 second left. Govs head coach Loos called a timeout to set the play. Junior Caleb Brown took the inbound in the frontcourt and let the clock tick down. He hooked up with a senior Wesley Channels who drove into the lane, drew the defense, and dished to Williams on the block for a lay-in to give the Govs a 69-67 advantage with four seconds left.
The Purple Eagles forced a desperation three-pointer at the buzzer, but it was nowhere near close.
Fraley and Campbell fueled the Govs’ second-half run with a pair of strong performances —Fraley inside and Campbell on the perimeter. Fraley was 4-of-6 in the paint, while Campbell was 5-of-7, including 2-of-3 from behind the arc, in the closing frame.
The Govs trailed 44-29 at the break after Niagara opened the game-hitting seven of its first nine three-point attempts. Demetrius Williamson was 3-of-5 from behind the arc in the first half. That early sharp-shooting allowed the Purple Eagles to build as much as a 17-point lead, 21-4, at the 14:00 mark.
APSU, meanwhile, struggled on the perimeter and finished the opening frame scoring 20 of its 29 points in the paint. That formula played out for the Govs as they ended the game with a 44-14 advantage in the paint. Niagara, who made 14-of-27 (51.9 percent) from the floor in the first half, shot only 28 percent (7 of 25) in the second. The Govs found their stroke in the second stanza, making 17-of-27 (63 percent) to finish with a season-high 50.9 (28 of 55) field-goal percentage. The season-high 19 assists — led by Channels and Brown with five each — even further highlights the Govs inside-out play.
Campbell and Channels led the Govs in the four-game Glenn Wilkes Classic, averaging 14.5 ppg., and 10.3 ppg., respectively. Channels also averaged a team-best 4.7 assist-per-game. The Govs, as a team, held a +1.5 rebounding advantage and outscored opponents by 37 in the second half.
APSU returns home for a 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 28, game against Drake.
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