Thurman Pours in 28 as Flyers Grab Road Win Over Jaguars

The Sandhills Community College basketball team began pulling away from Johnston Community College late in the first half on the way to a 98-77 victory in Smithfield, Wednesday evening.

Ranked No. 2 in this week's NJCAA Division III poll, the Flyers (14-3) were led by Jaquan Thurman, who connected on 13 of his 14 shots from the field and scored a season-high 28 points. He also grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds. 

Other leading scorers for the winners were LeNijel Robinson with 17, to go with nine rebounds, six assists and three steals, and Joey McMullin with 16 points and Bryan Quiller with 13.

Freshman guard Jamori McDougald played a strong defensive game that included two blocked shots, while scoring four points, and handing out eight assists in a turnover-free performance.

The Division II Jaguars dropped to 3-11 with the loss. Coach Mike Apple's squad returns to action with a 3 p.m. tip-off at The Hangar on Saturday against New Hope Collegiate of Columbia, SC.

The Jaguars capitalized on second chance points to remain close in the first half. With the Flyers leading 37-34, a tip-in by Thurman, and a basket in transition by Robinson, set off an 8-2 run that hiked the lead to 45-36 at the intermission.

A drive for two by Jordan Coleman at the start of the second half gave the Flyers their first double-digit lead. Six minutes later, a three-point play by McMullin made it 66-48. The largest lead came in the final two minutes when Sam Stoltz fed Jamal Williams for a dunk, making it 96-73.

Coming up on Monday at The Hangar is an interesting Martin Luther King Jr. Day high school-college doubleheader. Pinecrest High School meets Apex-Friendship in the opener at 2 p.m. The Flyers host Hosanna Bible College at 5 p.m.  Apex-Friendship Coach P. J. Lowman was an assistant coach on Apple's staff years ago at Pinecrest.

C. Bergmann