BLUEFIELD, Va. – After falling behind 17-8, Lindsey Wilson College went on a 20-0 run and never let Bluefield (Va.) back in the game, winning 68-57 on Sunday at Dome Gymnasium.
Kalen Kimberland was on a mission for the Blue Raiders, scoring a team-high 20 points, while Milton Watts controlled the paint for 11 points, eight rebounds and six blocks.
Bluefield got a game-high 23 points and 11 rebounds from Bryon Carpenter, but was unable to make a comeback behind just 30.8 percent shooting from the field. That mark included a 3-of-16 showing from behind the arc.
The Blue Raiders, on the other hand, had a good day from the field, hitting 45.9 percent of their shots while also controlling the backboards 44-39.
Still, Lindsey Wilson started the game ice cold from the field, but eventually went on a 8-0 run to cut a Bluefield lead down to a single point at 17-16 with six minutes left in the first half.
Watts completed a layup and free throw after a foul to extend the run to 11 straight points to give the Blue Raiders their first lead at 19-17. The good times continued after a turnover as DeAntra Scott completed a 3-point play and layup a few seconds later to make it a 15-0 Lindsey Wilson run.
It had to be frustrating for the Rams as nothing seemed to go right for an extended period of time. Tony Horne went to the line for yet another 3-point play, but missed the free throw before finishing a fast-break layup on the next possession to give the Blue Raiders 20 unanswered points.
What was once a 17-8 deficit for Lindsey Wilson was now a 28-17 lead.
Bluefield finally got some more points on the board near the end of the half as Lindsey Wilson held on to a 34-26 lead at the break.
Ten minutes into the second half the Blue Raider lead swelled to 20 points at 53-33 after a three from Chris Bridges. Once the lead got there, not a lot changed until the final two minutes when sloppy play from Lindsey Wilson let the Rams cut the lead to 13.
Still, it was too little too late as Bluefield only gained two more points as the Blue Raiders finished with an 11-point win.
Next up for Lindsey Wilson is an 8 p.m. CT matchup against Rio Grande (Ohio) at home on Thursday at Biggers Sports Center.
