By Brackin Lambert
uscbathletics.com
BLUFFTON – It didn’t take long for USC Beaufort’s men to get back in the win column after suffering their first loss of the year, as the Sand Sharks defeated visiting Paine College 94-81 on Saturday to rebound from an 80-69 loss to Savannah State on Tuesday.
“Proud of our guys to get right back at it after our first loss on Tuesday,” USCB coach Ron Fudala said. “Being able to put that behind us and get right back to work is huge for our program and a great building block for the foundation of this team.”
Marcus Overstreet posted his third double-double of the season with 21 points and 14 boards while Larry Bulluck (13) and Kobe Shewry (12) notched double-digit outings.
Paine jumped out to an early lead, but the Sand Sharks came right back to tie the game at 8. The Lions held a four-point advantage midway through the period but Bulluck drained a triple from the wing and Dylan Lewis followed with one of his own.
Threes continued to rain down as Kenney Gaines knocked one down to move ahead by seven, forcing PC to burn a timeout. An offensive rebound frenzy occurred before Kyle Polce finally connected on one from beyond the arc at the top of the key. USCB held a lead as large as 12 thanks to a Tasso Sfannos 3-pointer, but the Lions battled right back, cutting the lead back to single digits. Beaufort held a six point lead going into the half.
The teams exchanged baskets through the first three minutes, but it was Overstreet that extended the lead after scoring all of Beaufort’s point in the half before Shewry drained a contested 3-pointer. Bulluck then electrified the crowd inside the Rec Center with two-handed jam. USCB kept at least a 10-point lead throughout most of the second half and ended the game with an Overstreet slam dunk.
USCB heads to Jacksonville for a road contest with Edward Waters on Thursday.
