Covenant holds off Panthers' second half rally
Nov. 27, 2007

LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN, Ga. – Covenant College held off a second-half rally by LaGrange College for an 81-73 win Tuesday night at Barnes Gym. It was the third straight loss for the Panthers, now 1-5.

Demetris Render and Caleb Smallwood had 20 points each for LaGrange. The pair combined for 28 of the Panthers' 42 second half points. Joe Cromwell had a double-double of 18 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.

Covenant (3-5) never trailed in the game. The Scots led 42-31 at halftime after leading by as much as 15 in the half. They shot 58.6 percent in the first half, including 6-of-10 from 3-point range.

The game was tied three times in the early going. Roger McDowell's put back of Smallwood's missed shot tied the game for the last time at 6-6. The Scots took the lead for good on Dane Boykin's three-point play. They opened up a 22-12 lead on back-to-back 3-pointers from Matt Gambrell.

The Scots took their biggest lead of the half and the game, 39-24, on a 3-pointer by James Cunningham. The Panthers trimmed the lead to 11 by halftime on a three-point play by Stephen Spivey and a basket from Cromwell.

In the second half, LaGrange chipped away at the Scots' lead. Render scored 10 of the Panthers' first 16 points to get them within three, 50-47. Cromwell's put back with 10 minutes remaining made it 57-55.

Covenant ran off seven straight points to go up 64-55. Daniel Nielson hit a 3-pointer to start the run for the Scots. Nielson led all scorers with 24 points.

The Panthers got within a point on three occasions in the final four minutes. The last coming with 2:09 left after McDowell made a pair of free throws to make it 73-72. The Scots were able to put the game away at the free throw line, hitting four in a row for the 81-73 final.

LaGrange travels to Fayetteville, N.C. on Sunday to face Methodist University. The Panthers return home on Tuesday, Dec. 4 to take on Atlanta Christian College.