DUE WEST, S.C. -- Belmont Abbey scored the final 23 points of the contest, rallying from a nine-point deficit in the final seven minutes, to defeat upset-minded Erskine 75-61 in Conference Carolinas men's basketball action Wednesday night. The Crusaders trailed 61-52 after a Flying Fleet basket with 6:47 to play before Kyle Frazier hit the first of his three three-points in a three-minute span.

With the win, Belmont Abbey snaps a string of back-to-back losses and improves to 14-8 overall and 10-4 in league play. Erskine remain winless at 0-21, 0-15.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Mason Taylor led three players in double figures with 20 points. He also added seven rebounds and an assist.
• KJ Garrett tallied 14 points, hitting seven of eight free throws, while Frazier finished with 11 points, just one shy of his career high.
• Mario Lacy and Charles Solomon each grabbed 11 rebounds. Lacy just missed a double-double with nine points.
• Belmont Abbey shot 48.3 percent in the second half after a 42.9 percent effort in the opening period. Erskine shot just 36.6 percent in the contest.
• The 23-0 run was the largest of seven double-digit surges this season.
• With the win, the Crusaders clinched a spot in the 2023 Atlantic Casualty Conference Carolinas Tournament.

UP NEXT

• Belmont Abbey returns home for the next two contests, starting Saturday at 4 p.m.
• The Crusaders welcome Francis Marion to the Wheeler Center in a rematch of an overtime affair won by the Patriots in November.
• The teams are tied for fourth place in the league standings.