SU drops pair in Wyoming

 
LARAMIE, Wyo. - The Rocky Mountains were not kind to Southern as the Jaguars won one of three games in last week’s Global Hoops Sports Showcase.
The Jagaurs (1-4) opened the three-day round robin with an 83-79 win over South Dakota Wednesday, but suffered single-digit losses to North Carolina Central and host Wyoming on the following nights.
Derick Beltran scored 17 points and Jameel Grace scored 16, including two free throws with 9 seconds to play in the Jaguars’ win over South Dakota.
NCCU’s Ray Willis scored 20 points as the Eagles held off a late Southern charge for a 59-55 win Thursday.
Wyoming’s Leonard Washington was 9-11 from the free throw line and had 17 points and eight rebounds and set a second-half rally as the host Cowboys edged Southern 67-60 on Friday.
However, the team received some good news as the NCAA cleared 6-foot-10 Florida International transfer Brandon Moore to play.
The Jaguars return to Louisiana for a Saturday night road game at Tulane. The last time the two faced off was last season where the Green Wave defeat Southern 78-53 Tipoff is 7 p.m. at Fogleman Arena.
Southern’s season home opener game is Dec. 1 against Champion Baptist College.
 
Wyoming 67, Southern 60
For the second consecutive game Malcolm Miller led Southern (1-4) with 14, while Jameel Grace scored 11 and Derick Beltran 10.
Larry Nance Jr. had 12 points and 12 rebounds for Wyoming (4-0), while Derrious Gilmore also had 12 points and Luke Martinez added 11.
Washington scored eight points during a three-minute stretch as the Cowboys clawed back from a 46-38 deficit. His two free throws with 2:56 to go tied the game at 58-all.
After a missed 3 by Grace, Martinez’s two foul shots gave Wyoming a 60-58 edge, and moments later, his steal set up his own 3-pointer to make it 63-58 with 1:45 to play.
Southern’s Brandon Moore was cleared by the NCAA after having to sit out because of clearinghouse issues, Moore lead the Jaguars with 8 rebounds.
 
N.C. Central 59, Southern 55
Malcolm Miller led Southern with 17 points. Javan Mitchell added 14 points and Derick Beltran had 10 points and nine rebounds.
Ray Willis made just 4 of 15 field-goal attempts but was 12 for 12 from the free-throw line for the Eagles (2-2). Stanton Kidd added 13 points and 13 rebounds.
The only lead Southern had in the game was early in the first half leading by as much as eight but lost the lead before the end of the first half.
NC Central missed all four of its 3-point attempts and shot just 32 percent overall, but converted 25 of 31 free throws.
The Eagles led 57-49 with 1:14 remaining before a jumper by Jameel Grace and two buckets by Beltran brought the Jaguars within 57-55 with 22 seconds left. Willis then hit two free throws for NC Central and came up with a steal to put the game out of reach.
 
Southern 83, S. Dakota 79
The game was part of the Global Sports Showcase at the University of Wyoming.
Javan Mitchell also scored 16 points and led the Jaguars with eight rebounds. Malcolm Miller and Yondarius Johnson added 11 points each for Southern.
South Dakota’s Trevor Gruis led all players with 23 points and nine rebounds. Karim Rowson scored 19 points for the Coyotes, who were playing their season opener.