The Limestone Saints(3-1, 3-0) weathered an early second half flurry, took advantage of a cold shooting second half for Belmont Abbey as they ran away with a 97-82 win at the Timken Center on Saturday night. The loss gives the Crusaders a split of the week long road trip through the Upstate of South Carolina, winning earlier in the week by a decisive 112-87 tally at North Greenville.

The Crusaders jumped out to an early lead, with stingy defense from the opening tip. The early aggression yielded three early miscues by the Saints, which perpetuated an 11-4 run before the teams entered their first media timeout.

Out of the timeout, the Saints converted on consecutive trips. Josh Corry dropped a 10 foot jumper, followed by a Jamal McNeill short bank shot. A Mike Barrett three pointer inside the twelve minute mark cut the lead to one.

Barrett converted a second trifecta just before the second media stoppage, stopping a 9-2 Crusaders run. The Abbey run was paced by Tyshawn Good(Jamaica, NY), as Good went on a seven point spree of his own.

Limestone answered the Abbey flurry with an 8-2 run on the back of Josh Corry. Corry dialed long distance twice on bookends of a Joe Raga bucket, in a span of 2:33 of the first half.

The Crusaders went to the final media marker with a 6-0 spurt in less than a minute. The ebb and flow of the earlier stages of this game became a footnote in the final ledger, as the two teams managed twelve lead changes for the night.

Belmont Abbey, attempting to offset the Saints definitive size advantage, implemented a zone in the closing moments of the half. The change of pace aided the Crusaders, as the Saints were only able to outrebound the Crusaders 20-17. Chris Davis(Stockbridge, GA) splashed a 17 foot jumper from the top with 59.2 seconds and went to the break with the Crusaders trailing by a score of 49 to 48.

Good tallied 24 points in the first stanza. On the week, Good amassed 53 points before the intermission, making a strong statement for repeating as Conference Carolinas Player of the Week. Jay Council (Camden, SC) also added 10 points before the half came to a close on four of seven shooting. As a team, the Crusaders shot 45.7 percent from the field in the opening half.

The halftime margin was short lived, as an administrative technical was assessed to Limestone for dunking during the break. Good was good on the free throws and the Abbey went back on top. The infraction prompted a 6-0 burst for the Crusaders that gave them a 54-49 margin.

After a Saints put back, Limestone drew a charge on the defensive end and responded with a very long jumper from Mike Barrett. Justin Kuhlman (Ponte Vedra Beach, FL) fouled the airborne shooter and Barrett iced the bonus to give the Saints a one point edge.

From there, Limestone exerted considerable effort on the defensive end, and capitalized on the opportunities, as Charles Blue finished at the rim on consecutive trips, stretching out the Saints lead to 77-64 with 10:08 remaining.

Looking for offensive life, the Crusaders went to a small lineup, hoping to spread thin the larger Limestone lineup. At one point, the Crusaders came to the floor with no one over 6'2"; contrasting the Saints assembly with at least three players 6'5"or taller.

With the media timeout looming, the Crusaders found themselves without a field goal for over six and a half minutes, as Limestone took a daunting 81-67 advantage. A Terrone Sheffey (Dalllas, NC) jumper from the right elbow ended the dry spell, leaving the Abbey down by a dozen.

The remainder of the night belonged to Charles Blue, as the Mount Zion Academy product proved to be the difference in the paint. An emphatic dunk with less than a minute to play put the exclamation point on the night for the Timken Center faithful. Blue finished with 18 points, to go with 6 rebounds.

Good led the cause for the Crusaders, finishing with a game high 32. Davis, Sheffey and Council also had double figures with 18, 15 and 13, respectively.

The Crusaders break for exams and return to the Wheeler Center on December 15, as they meet Catawba at 4pm, in a non-conference tilt. That night is devoted to Hope4Gaston, a local ministry devoted to providing improved housing opportunities for families in need.