BREVARD, N.C. – The Southern Virginia University men's basketball team (8-5, 1-1) recorded its first conference victory Saturday afternoon after a dominating performance on the road against Brevard College (4-9, 0-2).

"We had a great team win today over a good Brevard team," said Head Coach Adam Wardenburg following the triumph. "We were connected on both sides of the ball and this was a great example of how good we can be when we play together for 40 minutes."

The Knights got off to a fast start, outscoring the Tornados 16-2 in the first three minutes, forcing an early timeout from Coach Burgess. The run was catapulted by early success from beyond the three-point line where the team knocked down its first three attempts, two from Abe Connolly and one from Jamarcus Robertson.

Brevard would go on a run of its own, scoring 12 of the games next 18 points to cut the deficit to 10. Southern Virginia would quickly retake control of the game, going on a 13-0 run and holding its opponent scoreless over the next six-plus minutes.

The Tornados would close out the half draining four of five shots from deep to give them some momentum heading into the break, but trailed the Knights 43-26 after 20 minutes of play.
Five quick points from Malakai Olson to begin the second half helped Southern Virginia stretch its advantage. Brevard battled to cut into the deficit but was unable to get stops on the defensive end.

The 19-points off the bench in the second half helped the Knights close out the game in the final minutes of play. Seth Clifton, a freshman from Raleigh, grabbed an offensive rebound and made a layup to give the team its largest lead of the afternoon and score his first points of the year. Clifton was one of 11 Knights to record a basket, the most of any game so far this season.

Four Southern Virginia players reached double-digit scoring, led by Koa Baker who recorded 15 points on 5-for-7 shooting from the field and connecting on all five free throw attempts.
"Offensively, we just attacked the paint for 40 minutes, and made plays for each other," stated Coach Wardenburg. "Every one of our three-pointers today was off of a paint touch and we did a great job of sharing the ball."

"Defensively, we really guarded well for 40 minutes. They didn't have any easy shots and we put an emphasis on holding them to one tough shot on every possession. I thought we made them do things all game they weren't comfortable with, and the final score was a direct reflection on that."

The Knights outrebounded the Tornados by 16 and made more free throws than the opponents attempted. Four Knights pulled down season-highs in rebounds, including a team-high six from Sophomore Alex Weiland. "We really controlled the flow of this game from start to finish and I am extremely proud of how we played," added Wardenburg.

Southern Virginia has a quick turnaround, returning home to take on conference opponent, Greensboro, on Tuesday, Jan. 10 with tip-off set for 6 p.m.

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