Before this season, the last time the men’s basketball team hit 100 points in a game was during the 2017-2018 season.
Now the Panthers have eclipsed the mark twice–and in less than a week, no less.
On Nov. 11, the men trounced Mid-Atlantic Christian 107-52, and last night, the team stifled Virginia University of Lynchburg with a 107-56 thumping.
By half-time, the Panther’s had doubled the VUL score–leading 52-26, and they continued the route into the second period.
Sterling Charles, sophomore, came off the bench for a little more than 11 minutes, but that was all the time he needed to be the leading scorer on the floor for the night. Charles drained two threes in the first half and three in the second to go 5-7 in the contest–all from beyond the arc.
“He can really shoot it,” Head Coach Patrick Corrigan said after the game. “He has a really pretty stroke. He was hot. Two seconds after checking in, he made a three.”
Right behind Charles was Jakari Johnson, junior, who scored 14 of his own for the Panthers.
“He’s such a good athlete,” Corrigan said of Johnson. “He has such a great feel for when to attack and score.”
Stair-stepping down, Alfredo Abel-Rivera, sophomore, added 13 from the field, and Kyree Ellis, junior, knocked down 12 to round out the double-figure scorers for the Panthers.
On the nuts-and-bolts side of the statistics, Darwin Randolph, junior, served up nine assists while snagging 14 rebounds and chipping in 6 points.
“Darwin played great,” Corrigan said. “The guy has such a motor. The dude plays so hard. He’s never taken a play off since he’s been here. You can always count on him to give it.”
Overall, the Panthers shot almost 51.9.% from the floor and 45% from beyond the arc. They also controlled the boards, racking up 57 rebounds to the Dragons’ 35.
In total, 14 players contributed buckets for the Panthers, and freshman James McCreary was an obvious crowd favorite, bringing down the house on a three-pointer with 4:17 remaining in the contest.
Corrigan’s crew will play one more home game before taking a week for Thanksgiving. The Panthers will be at home tomorrow for a 4 p.m. contest against Regent.
The game is part of a double-header that will begin at 2 p.m. with the Panther Women’s Basketball team playing first–also against Regent.