Box Score ORANGEBURG, SC – Former Orangeburg-Wilkinson standout Tashombe Riley tossed in 21 points and was just one rebound short of a double-double, snaring nine caroms to lead South Carolina State to a hard-fought 78-74 Mid-Eastern Athletic win over visiting Bethune-Cookman Saturday evening.

Riley had 17 of his total after intermission and appeared to grab every key rebound down the stretch as Coach Murray Garvin's team opened its four-game home MEAC stretch with a victory. Eric Eaves added 17 points and five boards in the victory, which lifted the Bulldogs to 4-11 and 1-1 in league play.

The Wildcats, who had four players in double figures, fell to 3-14 and 0-4 in t he MEAC.

The closely-contested game was a see-saw battle throughout, featuring 19 lead changes – 13 in the final stanza – and five ties, two after intermission. It was clutch free throw shooting in the closing minutes that enabled SC State to hang on for the win.

Garvin's team, which missed four of seven attempts from the line – including two front ends of 1-and-1 opportunities –  to start the second half, made all 10 of its chances from the line in the final 3:33, four by Ed Stephens, who finished with 8 points and a team-high four assists.

"I was very impress with our free-throw shooting down the stretch," said Garvin after the win. "It appeared we didn't perform very well at the line early, but we finished at 72 percent, so that's not too bad. I also was not happy with 14 turnovers but we had 15 assists. We didn't perform well at times, but I told our players after the game that I'd rather have an ugly win anytime than a pretty loss.

"I'm so happy for our team and our fans that we were able to pull out a close win. For a team that's been on the road as much as we have, a win like this is a big boost. We needed a win like this and I'm so proud of the effort by our players."

The Bulldogs got some unexpected performances from two freshmen – 6-8 Damani Applewhite of Fayetteville, NC and 6-7 Ozante Fields of nearby Denmark-Olar High School. Applewhite, in his first start, nine points of 4-5 shooting from the field, while Fields was just short of a double-double with nine points and an equal number of rebounds.

"A couple of our young players stepped up like veterans," said Garvin. "Fields and Applewhite... if we can get that kind of performance from them on a regular basis and get our veterans to play well, we can define who we are."

SC State, after building an early 19-13 lead, saw the Wildcats storm back to grab a 26-24 advantage midway the period, but managed a 32-31 edge at the half. The first period featured six lead changes and two ties. The second-half was closely contested as well.

A 7-2 run to start the second half gave SC State a 39-33 edge when Riley scored on a break with 18:08 to play, but the Wildcats, who quick guards attacked the basket most of the game, pulled even on six consecutive free throws with just under 17 minutes left.

Applewhite's three-point play gave the Bulldogs a 42-39 edge but four straight points by Bethune-Cookman provided the visitors a 43-42 lead when Diamante Lewis, who led the Wildcats with 18 points and six assists, got a layup at the 14:43 mark.

There were four lead changes before the Wildcats built a four-point lead, 54-50, with 11:17 left. The visitors maintained a 2-to-3 point lead over the next six minutes until a three-point play by Riled and a layup off a steal by Greg Mortimer, who had on five points, regained the lead for the Bulldogs with 8:23 on the clock.

The Wildcats took a 61-62 lead with 7:26 left on a follow shot by Quentin Forest, who finished with 14 points for B-Cookman, but a short jumper by Riley put SC State ahead 62-11 seconds later.

The game was tied once after that at 70-all with 1:10 remaining on a layup by Reggie Baker, who had 16 points for B-Cookman before SC State closed the contest with an 8-4 run for the final margin, 78-74.

The Bulldogs continue their four-game MEAC home stand Monday when they meet Savannah State in the second game of a league double-header, which gets underway at 5:30 p.m.
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