RALEIGH, N.C. – In the first game of back-to-back conference contests this weekend, the Southern Virginia University men's basketball team (9-6, 2-2) took down league leaders William Peace (9-6, 3-1) Friday evening, 71-63.

"It was a great win over a tough William Peace team," exclaimed Malakai Olson, who scored a team-high 20 points. "We as a team push each other every day during practice so we are prepared for close games like tonight. I'm just proud of us for pulling this one out."

The Knights got off to a hot start, opening the game with a 14-2 run in the first five minutes, led by Koa Baker who scored a quick eight points. Four of those points came at the free throw line where Baker went nine-for-nine on the evening.

"I wanted to come out confident and locked in to be an example for my team so we could start of hot and build our confidence right out the gate against a tough team," stated Baker. "We stuck to our scouting report and because of our preparation it put me in the right positions to make some early steals to help the team. I think it sent a message early that we were there to play and to win."

Over the next six-plus minutes Southern Virginia went cold, missing its next 12 attempts from the field, allowing William Peace to cut into the lead. A pair of Baker free throws ended the scoring drought, but the Pacers still held the momentum.

A Michael Dulin jumper from mid-range gave Peace its first lead of the game, 23-22. Just before the halftime buzzer Olson got a basket in the paint to retake the lead, 28-27.

The teams went back and forth for the first 10 minutes of the second stanza, with the lead changing hands six times during the stretch. The next five minutes of the match were dominated by the Knights who put together a 12-1 run to grab an 11-point advantage.

Back-to-back three-pointers by the Pacers ignited the home crowd as they pulled within five with just over four minutes remaining in the contest. Shaun Kenedy knocked down a jumper on the next possession to quiet the Hermann Athletic Center, but Beau Bryant drained another shot from deep just 10 seconds later. The trio of three's made it just a four-point game, putting pressure on the Knights.

Southern Virginia showed its poise under adversity in the final minutes, going on an 11-5 run to close out the game. Shaun Kenedy knocked down an especially clutch shot in the last minute of play, pulling up from behind the arch with 35 seconds remaining on the clock. The three from the freshman guard increased the advantage to five. He would then knock down three of four free throw attempts to secure the victory for the Knights.

Kenedy, a Cary, North Carolina native, played in front of a large group of family and friends who made the short trip to watch him play. "Playing so close to home was truly a blessing," said Kenedy after his 19-point performance. "Being able to play in front of so many family and friends gave me a ton of energy!"

The trio of Baker, Kenedy and Olson combined for 58 points on the night. "I'm super proud of our whole team," declared Baker. "I want to give a ton of credit to the bench and the energy they brought. When we band together like that through the whole game special things happen."

The Knights have a quick turnaround as they will now travel to Misenheimer, North Carolina to take on Pfeiffer for the second game in as many days. Tip-off is set for 2:00 p.m.

"It was a great win tonight and provides us confidence going forward, but we can't dwell on it because we have another tough conference game tomorrow we have to prepare for," continued Kenedy. "We are proud of this win, we took it in, and celebrated, but we have to lock in again for our next opponent tomorrow," added Baker.

For all the most up-to-date information regarding Southern Virginia University men's basketball, visit knightathletics.com and follow @knight_hoops on Instagram.