Timing can be very important in life, and in basketball.
The Concord Men’s Basketball team saw their offense struggle at just the wrong time Monday night, resulting in a 66-60 loss to WVIAC and Mercer County rival Bluefield State at Ned Shott Gymnasium.
The Mountain Lions missed seven straight shots during a key 4:13 segment of the second half, allowing the Big Blues to go from a 48-46 lead with 9:45 remaining to an insurmountable 62-51 advantage with only 1:06 to go. CU would sink a pair of three-point shots in the final :19 to account for the final margin.
The loss snapped Concord’s two-game winning streak and dropped their record to 3-10, 2-6 in the WVIAC. Bluefield State claimed its second consecutive win and improved to 3-9, 3-4. It was also a measure of payback for the Big Blues, whom CU beat 89-58 in a non-conference game at The Ned on November 27.
There were three ties and four lead changes in the first 12 minutes before the Big Blues closed out the first half with a 13-6 run and a 35-29 halftime lead. Concord got within 48-46, after two consecutive three-point shots by senior Rustin Jessee, with 9:45 left. But then the offense began misfiring.
Still, BSC wasn’t able to get much breathing room until five straight points from Sean Weatherspoon and a three-pointer by David Noel broke the game open with only 66 seconds remaining.
Freshman center Rick Alderman paced Concord with a double-double of 17 points and 12 rebounds. Freshman Kortea Johnson chipped in 13 points, with Jessee and freshman Damien Tunstalle adding 10 each.
Noel and Weatherspoon each scored 20 points to lead Bluefield State. Rico Thompson finished with a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds.
Concord returns to the court on Thursday, with a visit to Glenville State as part of a doubleheader with the women’s team. The Lady Lions are scheduled to tip off at 5:30 pm EST and the men at 7:30 at Lilly Gymnasium.
Both games will be broadcast on Classic Rock 102 The River (WMTD 102.3 FM) and webcast at www.theriver102.com, beginning with the “Mountain Lion Preview show at 5:00 pm.