Buena Vista, Va. – The Southern Virginia University men's basketball team continued its dominant form, improving to 14-2 overall and a perfect 5-0 in conference play with a commanding 68-55 victory over Greensboro College. The Knights snapped a two-game losing streak to the Pride, bringing their all-time record in the matchup to 3-5.
After an early deficit, the Knights surged ahead with a 12-0 run over a seven-minute span to take a 15-7 lead. The first half was characterized by defensive intensity from both sides, but the Knights found their rhythm late. A pair of free throws from Luc Devore capped off the opening period, sending Southern Virginia into halftime with a 33-20 advantage. Tillman Johnson led the scoring at the break with 11 points, while Eli Ballstaedt contributed eight.
Key to the Knights' first-half success was their efficiency from beyond the arc, shooting 46% (6-13), while limiting Greensboro to just 14.3% (2-14) from three-point range.
Southern Virginia carried their momentum into the second half, opening with a quick layup by Ballstaedt followed by consecutive scores from Tyler Kartchner. Although the Pride battled to reduce the deficit to single digits on multiple occasions, the Knights responded each time with timely scoring. A pivotal moment came with six minutes remaining when Greensboro pulled within eight points, but Ballstaedt hit crucial free throws, and a dunk from Christian Goode ignited a scoring flurry to secure the win. Goode later sealed the game with a three-pointer in the final moments.
Kartchner was a standout performer, shooting an impressive 83.3% (10-12) from the field and finishing with 20 points. The Knights outshot Greensboro overall, hitting 46.2% (24-52) from the floor and 38.1% (8-21) from three, while holding the Pride to 36.4% shooting and just 15% (3-20) from beyond the arc.
Southern Virginia will look to continue their winning streak on the road as they face North Carolina Wesleyan on Saturday, January 18th, at 2:00 PM.
For the latest updates on the team, visit knightathletics.com and follow @knight_hoops on Instagram.
