BUENA VISTA, Va. – After falling in the first matchup between the schools earlier in the season, the Southern Virginia University men's basketball team (12-11, 5-7 USAS) took down Pfeiffer University (8-14, 4-7 USAS) in Knight Arena Friday evening, 79-64.

Following a 3-pointer by the Falcons to open the scoring, the Knights scored the game's next nine points to grab a six-point lead. Daymon Beckwith would knock down back-to-back shots from beyond the arc to tie the game. He would add two more threes to score 12 straight points and give the Falcons a 15-13 advantage.

The teams traded baskets over the next five-plus minutes, with Southern Virginia getting a huge boost off the bench from Tyler Kartchner. The forward connected on his first four shot attempts to lead the team with eight points with just over six minutes remaining in the opening half.

Kartchner would add four more points before the break to lead the team with 12 points. Shaun Kenedy and Koa Baker scored 10 and nine points, respectively, and Malakai Olson rounded out the team's scoring with six points in his first game back from injury. For the Falcons, Beckwith would add another 3-pointer, his fifth of the half, to lead all players with 17 points.

While Pfeiffer relied on 3-point shooting (7-19) in the first half, Southern Virginia saw the lion's share of its scoring come from inside the paint, outscoring its opponent 28-6 around the basket. The home team, who led by three as the teams went to their respective locker rooms, converted over 50 percent of its attempts from the field.

The Knights continued their outstanding shooting in the second twenty minutes, opening the half on a 9-0 run to give them a 46-34 lead. The team was also solid on the other end, not giving up a point for four-plus minutes to begin the half.

The teams would then go back and forth until the Flacons trimmed down the Knight's lead to single digits with just over nine minutes of play remaining.

While Southern Virginia continued to get to the paint, the story of the second half was free throws. In what has become a common feat for the team, they converted more free throws than their opponent attempted. Of the 18 made, 13 came from Baker and Kenedy, who were both perfect from the line. Kartchner also connected on all his attempts, going three-for-three.

The success from the charity stripe helped the Knights close out the match, winning in convincing fashion, 79-64.

Baker's 13 points in the second half awarded him a game-high 22 points. The Eagle Mountain, Utah, native came up just shy of a triple-double, tallying eight assists and rebounds to round out an impressive showing. Baker was followed by Kenedy, who bounced back after scoring just three points against Mary Baldwin on Tuesday to score 21 on 50 percent shooting. Friday night marked the ninth time the freshman guard has scored 20-plus points, more than any other player on the team.

Kartchner followed up his 12 points in the first half with seven in the second for a season-high 19 on an excellent 66 percent shooting from the field. When asked about his performance, Kartchner said, "it feels great to be able to help get a W! I just feel like I came out strong and didn't back down, and that's what the team needed from me today."
Malakai Olson was solid on both sides of the ball, tallying 11 points, four rebounds, and three blocks in limited minutes in his first game back from injury after missing the last two. "It felt like home playing with my guys again," the team captain declared when asked how it felt to be back on the court. "Honestly, physically, I felt great. The coaches eased me back into the game, making it easy for me to get back into the flow of things."

Abe Connolly was also outstanding on the defensive end, hauling down eight defensive boards for a total of nine to lead the team and registering a season-high three blocks. The freshman now has 26 total blocks on the year, good for fourth place on the all-time single-season leaderboard in Southern Virginia history.

The triumph propels the Knights into fifth place in the USA South standings with just two games to play. "This was a huge win for us, not only standings-wise but to have this momentum going into the last couple games of the season is crucial," continued Kartchner. "We played super well together as a team and were very connected on both sides of the ball. Coach wanted to emphasize that for this game and this weekend, and I feel we executed it perfectly. I am just so proud of my brothers for how hard they fought. It felt so good to get this team victory, and we are ready for the next one!"

Southern Virginia will return to the court tomorrow afternoon for its second game in as many days when they take on second-place William Peace.

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