St. Andrews men’s basketball breaks losing streak with win over Bluefield

LAURINBURG — The St. Andrews Knights men’s basketball team snapped a 17-game losing streak dating back to Nov. 16 with a 66-57 win over the Bluefield Rams Wednesday night.

St. Andrews’ Quwan Barnes scored the first basket for either side with a 3-pointer to set the tone for the rest of the matchup.

After several turnovers by the Rams (6-17, 6-13 Appalachian Athletic Conference) with 10 minutes left in the first half, the Knights found themselves with a one-possession lead at 15-12. Allan Taylor boosted St. Andrews’ (4-17, 2-17 AAC) confidence, helping stretch its lead to 29-18 by the six-minute mark.

The Rams ran a disjointed offense on the next several trips down the court, thwarting any attempt at closing the gap. The Knights went into halftime leading 35-25.

A calm and collected Knights roster kept their rhythm into the second half, aided by solid shooting from their guards. With 10 minutes left in the second half, the Knights were in the home stretch, leading 49-35 with a frustrated Rams team running with them on the final laps. The Rams could not replicate their initial aggressive gameplan inside the post to keep pace with their opponent, giving the Knights all the space they needed for the victory.

Taylor scored 18 points with 13 rebounds and five blocks for St. Andrews; Garrett McRae had 17 points, four rebounds and four assists; Jalen Mcafee-Marion scored 14 points, going 4-for-8 from 3-point range, with three rebounds and two assists; Barnes had eight points and 12 rebounds and Jeremiah Dickerson added nine points and five rebounds off the bench.

Bluefield’s Donavan Martin finished with 17 points, seven rebounds and three steals; Elijah White had 10 points and four rebounds; Jaron Washington-Thomas had 11 points with three rebounds in a reserve role and Danny Alford scored five points with seven rebounds.

St. Andrews hosts Pikeville on Saturday.