Box Score


BLUEFIELD, Va. – Six different Rams tallied double-digit scoring totals Saturday afternoon, helping Bluefield clinch the runaway win, 97-62, over West Virginia Tech. The game was the final game of the two-day, four-team Ramey Car Classic. Bluefield and St. Catharine College each went 2-0 in their games on the weekend.

 

Eric Dukes paced BC (5-2) with 18 points, followed by Andrew Wilson's 14. Alex Lubsey and Kearsten Marion added 13 apiece, while both Josh Nesbit and Kyle Grisby added 12 points apiece on the day.

 

The Rams recorded a season-high 20 assists in the win and a season low 10 turnovers. Marion led BC with five assists and also picked up five of BC's 12 steals.

 

The Rams went 36-of-73 (49.3%) from the floor, including its best performance from beyond-the-arc this season of 11-for-23 (47.8%). Grisby was 4-of-7 while Wilson went 3-of-5 from three.

 

The Golden Bears (8-6) were led by Jauries Thomas' game-high 22 points on 10-of-12 shooting, while Jaren Marino was the only other WVU-Tech player to break the 10-point barrier, tallying 11. The Golden Bears made 26 turnovers on the afternoon.

 

Bluefield grabbed a quick 8-2 lead in the ballgame as Grisby knocked down a pair of threes and Devin Page hit two from the free throw line.

 

Marion then began a 9-2 run for the Rams with under 14 minutes to play in the half, as he knocked down a jump shot. WVU-Tech answered on the other end before BC reeled off seven-straight points to grab a double-digit advantage, 21-10. Alex Lubsey completed a three-point play while Dukes knocked down a pair from the line and added a tip in.

 

The Golden Bears responded with an 11-2 run of its own and closed the gap to just two points, 27-25 with around five minutes to play in the opening half.

 

However, Bluefield closed the half on a 17-4 scoring run to take a 44-29 lead into intermission. Five different Rams contributed during the final run of the half, led by six from Wilson. WVU-Tech only attempted one two field goals over the final few minutes and had five turnovers.

 

While WVU-Tech opened the final 20 minutes with a three-point play to make it 44-32, BC blanked the visitors 16-0 over an ensuing 2:39 stretch. Marion led this rally with seven points, including back-to-back buckets and a three pointer a couple of possessions later. Bluefield was 7-of-10 from the floor during the stretch, which extended the lead to 60-32 with 16:31 left in the game.

 

The Rams continued to have a big second half, shooting 22-of-40 (55%) en route to 53 points over the final 20 minutes. The Golden Bears never came closer than the 12-point deficit it faced following its first points of the second half.

 

The Rams' biggest lead came at 97-59, before WVU-Tech added three points for the final tally of 97-62.

 

BC controlled nearly every statistical category, including a 42-17 edge in bench points, an overwhelming 34-12 advantage in points off turnovers and a 17-10 upper hand in second chance points.

 

The Rams were 14-of-18 (77.8%) from the free-throw line, while the Golden Bears only converted 9-of-15 (60%) at the charity stripe.

 

Bluefield next plays on Dec. 12, competing at UNC Asheville in an exhibition contest. The Rams will then trek to Takoma Park, Md., to take on Washington Adventist University on Dec. 15. BC defeated the Shock, 67-63, on Nov. 25 in the Dome.

 

The next home game for the Rams will be Jan. 2, hosting its first Mid-South Conference contest of the season. The men take on University of Pikeville at 8 p.m., following the women's game with the visiting Bears.