Brevard, N.C. – The Southern Virginia University men's basketball team continued its strong conference play Friday night, earning its fourth straight win over Brevard College with a 96–81 victory to improve to 6–1 in USA South action.
The Tornadoes briefly took a one-point lead two minutes into the game, but it proved to be their largest advantage of the night. From there, the Knights took control for the remaining 38 minutes. Jude Ballstaedt opened the scoring with four straight points, followed by Tillman Johnson, who added four of his own. DJ Green stretched the lead with a three-pointer, and Ashton Davis finished inside to set the tone early.
A Mason Hunter three with 13 minutes remaining in the first half marked the Knights' final triple of the opening stretch, as Southern Virginia turned to its size and physicality inside. The frontcourt trio of Austin Mitchell, Luc DeVore, and Davis powered the offense, helping the Knights dominate the paint with a 34–16 scoring advantage.
Southern Virginia was flawless at the free-throw line in the first half, going 14-for-14, and carried a 54–41 lead into halftime.
Brevard came out of the break with renewed energy, cutting what was once a 21-point deficit down to just three. However, timely baskets from DeVore and Johnson halted the momentum and steadied the Knights.
Once again, the paint proved decisive. Southern Virginia scored eight straight points over a three-minute span before a Green three-pointer pushed the lead back into double figures with 10 minutes remaining. Brevard trimmed the margin to seven, but that was as close as it would get.
Johnson and Green ignited a decisive 16–3 run over four minutes, sealing the game and securing the 96–81 conference road win.
Johnson delivered a career-high 30 points, shooting 10-of-16 from the field and 9-of-10 at the free-throw line. Davis was equally efficient, pouring in 25 points in just 21 minutes on 10-of-11 shooting and a perfect 5-for-5 from the line. Green recorded a double-double with 16 points and 10 assists, shooting 4-of-7 from the field, 3-of-4 from three, and 5-of-5 at the stripe.
The Knights posted a season-high 96 points and will look to carry that momentum forward as they await improved weather conditions before traveling north to face Mary Baldwin University on Wednesday, January 28, at 7:00 PM.
For all the latest updates on Southern Virginia University men's basketball, visit knightathletics.com and follow @knight_mbb on Instagram.
