COLUMBIA, Ky. - The Blue Raider men's basketball team overcame a manageable halftime deficit to defeat Washington Adventist (Md.) 95-88 on Saturday evening at Biggers Sports Center.
Lindsey Wilson trailed by four points at the break but outscored the visiting Shock 49-38 over the second 20 minutes to pull away and seal the win.
Kenyata Carbon, who hit his first 10 shots of the game, led a trio of Blue Raiders with 20 points as he finished 10-of-13 from the floor and 4-for-4 on free throws for 25 points.
DJ Gordon came off the bench and hit three second-half 3-pointers en route to a season-high 24 points, and
Mihail Gavazov tied a career-best 22 points.
Julian Cunningham added 16 points, eight assists, and five rebounds for Lindsey Wilson.
Coming out of the locker room down 50-46, Gavazov connected on a quick 3-pointer to cut the Washington Adventist lead to one. Over the next two minutes and change, the two sides traded buckets, and the Shock went up 60-56 at the 17:07 mark of the half. Back-to-back treys by Gavazov and Gordon gave Lindsey Wilson its first lead since the first half and started a 14-1 run that covered three minutes of game time.
Washington Adventist was able to get within a single possession on two sperate occasions from that point, but the Blue Raiders never surrendered their lead. Gavazov's fourth 3-pointer of the second half in the final minute pushed Lindsey Wilson's advantage to double-figures before Gordon clinched the game from the foul line.
In all, Gavazov and Gordon combined for 30 points in the second frame as Lindsey Wilson closed the night shooting 57.4 percent from the field and 11-of-24 (8-of-14 in the second half) from 3-point range. The Blue Raiders also finished an efficient 14-of-15 from the free throw line.
The first half of the evening was back-and-forth from the get-go. The Shock took advantage of nine Blue Raider turnovers to go on a run late and take the lead into halftime. Carbon was heard from most, shooting 6-for-6 overall and hitting all four of his free throws for 16 points.
Lindsey Wilson opens its Mid-South Conference schedule at 6:30 p.m. CT on Thursday, January 8 at Campbellsville (Ky.).
