Charleston, S.C. The Bulldogs recorded their third win of the season and the 35th 100-plus performance in Citadel history when they defeated Atlanta Christian, 113-59, Saturday afternoon at McAlister Field House.
What started off as a three-point shootout, turned into a near record-setting first half for the Bulldogs who recorded 13 long range shots and 72 points. The record for the most points scored in a first half is 73.
Starting off the game, senior guard Kevin Hammack made a quick layup at 19:31 to put the first points on the board for the Bullodgs before Jordan Poole hit the first of three consecutive three-pointers for the Chargers at the 19:10 mark. Freshman forward Bryan Streeter, who earned his fourth consecutive career start, responded with a layup at 18:46, before Hammack and senior guard Donny McLendon added a three-pointer of their own putting the Bulldogs up 18-16, a lead they would hold for the remainder of the game.
Leading The Citadel at the half was McLendon with 19 points, three boards and one assist. McLendon shot 7-of-9 from the field and hit five of the Bulldogs' 13 first half three-point field goals. Also, with a season-best performance was sophomore guard Jonathan Brick, who hit three first half shots from behind the arc, totaling 11 points in the half, while Hammack added 10 points and seven first half assists, both in 11 minutes of play. Streeter, perfect from the field, went 4-of-4 with nine points in first period.
Shooting 72.2 percent from behind the arc in the first half, the Bulldogs hit 27-of-38 field goals for a season-high of 71.1 percent in the first period. The Citadel went into the locker room at the half with a 72-37 lead, only committing two turnovers and scoring 17 points off of Charger giveaways.
The Bulldogs, who recorded 21 points off the bench in the first half, experienced similar success in the second, with 27 bench points, 13 from Citadel freshmen forward Walter Howard and guard Trey Swinton. After senior guard Mark Schiavoni hit the Bulldogs' 15th long range shot of the game, an all-time Citadel record, at the 5:08 mark in the second half, Swinton, a former Wando High School standout, added his name to the 3-point list with two from downtown in less than two minutes, before Howard recorded the final 3-pointer with 11 seconds left in the game, extending The Citadel lead to 54 points, the largest margin of the game.
“I was extremely pleased with how we came out and shared the basketball and worked well with each to shoot high percentage 3-point shots. That is why were able to find the success the way we did from behind the arc,” said head coach Ed Conroy. “It was also great to see J'Mel Everhart return to the floor and make a solid contribution.”
The Bulldogs shot season-highs 63.8 percent from the field and 69.2 from long range for the game, with 46 points in the paint, 30 points off turnovers and 30 total assists, a season-high by 11. All 12 on the Citadel roster scored, while eight players hit 3-points and five scored in double figures. McLendon lead the team with 21 points, his fourth 20-plus performance of the season. Both Brick and Hammack contributed 13 points a piece, while Streeter and junior forward Demetrius Nelson each recorded 11 points. Both Brick and Streeter's totals were career-highs. Streeter led the Bulldogs in boards, tying his career high of eight rebounds, while Hammack recorded a season-high in assists with seven.
The Citadel outrebounded Atlanta Christian 43-16, holding them to 42 percent from the field and 36 percent from long range. Guards Poole and Joe Rawlings led the Chargers with 13 points each, while guard Anthony Snell contributed 12.
The Bulldog improved to 3-10 for the season and will hit the road to take on Elon for their third Southern Conference match-up on Jan. 3 at 7:05 p.m. For more information on Bulldog Athletics, go to www.CitadelSports.com.
