Charleston, S.C. Four players scored in double-figures to lead the Bulldogs past Grace Bible with an 81-72 victory to open the season. Daniel Eykyn recorded a career-high of 13 points. Demetrius Nelson led the Bulldogs with 18 points, followed by Cameron Wells with 15. Zach Urbanus scored 13 points and led the Bulldogs with four assists.
Allen Durham led Grace Bible with a game-high 26 points. The Tiger had three players score in double-figures. Paul Nelson had 19 points and Ryan Krombeen had 13 points. Cory Jamieson led the Tigers with six assists.
“We have some things we need to work on, but I am proud of our guys,” said Bulldog head coach Ed Conroy. “Eykyn and Nelson definitely stepped up and Cameron stepped up when we needed him. We did some good things tonight. We didn't do a very good job of defending their first shots, but we are getting better. We need to work harder on the defensive end, but overall, I think our guys are working hard.”
The Bulldogs got on the scoreboard first after Austin Dahn nailed a 3-pointer from the corner. The Tigers answered with a layup by Durham to earn a spot on the scoreboard. A jumper by Wells extended the lead to three, followed by a shot by Nelson. The Tigers would end the Bulldogs' 4-0 run with a layup by Durham.
The Citadel continued to stay ahead, staying in front for the entire first half. The Tigers managed to jump ahead on one occasion after a 3-pointer by Brandon Clahassey put the Tigers up, 27-26. The Bulldogs quickly responded with a layup by Nelson to take back the lead. The Citadel stayed on top and went into halftime with a five-point lead.
At the half, the Bulldogs led the Tigers, 38-33. Nelson and Dahn led the Bulldogs with eight points apiece. Durham was already in double-figures with 11 points.
In the second half, the Bulldogs began to build confidence. Eykyn scored eight of his 13 points in the second half. The Tigers came out of the break and hit a 3-pointer to cut the Bulldog lead to two. Urbanus hit a jumper to put the Bulldogs up by four, but the Tigers refused to go away. With 15:31 left in the half, Jamieson fired a 3-pointer to give the Tigers a 45-44 lead. Wells quickly responded with a layup to regain the lead.
The Bulldogs stayed in control until a foul by Jonathan Brick put Jamieson on the foul line. Jamieson nailed both free throws to give the Tigers their final lead of the game. Nelson scored off a layup at 12:51 to put the Bulldogs back on top. Eykyn solidified a Bulldog victory, scoring all eight of his second half points in the last 2:30. His two free throws with 0:18 left sealed the victory for the Bulldogs.
Cosmo Morabbi played 19 minutes and had five points in his first collegiate game. John Brown recorded two points, one block and two boards in his first collegiate game. Brown earned the first start of his career.
The Bulldogs will travel to Richmond, Va. this weekend to face Virginia Commonwealth on Sunday, Nov. 16 at 4 p.m. For more information on Bulldog Basketball, visit the official website of Bulldog Athletics at www.CitadelSports.com.
