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From staff reports
For The Register-Herald
DENMARK, S.C. — Talk about a homecoming.
Three Mountain State players with roots in South Carolina led MSU to a sweep of its two games in the Voorhees Tip-Off Classic with a 103-83 win over Trevecca Nazarene Saturday.
Ralph Legg, of Spartansburg, led the way with a 28-point effort, Aiken’s Adron Marshall added 23 and Columbia’s Jarvis Jackson dished out 11 assists in the Cougars’ big win.
“We played a lot better than we did the first night,” MSU coach Bob Bolen said, referencing MSU’s 79-65 win over Brewton-Parker Friday. “I thought our guards (Legg, Marshall and Jackson) took over the game early and allowed us to get a lead.”
Mountain State’s bench contributed 32 points in the win. Tyrice Watkins led the bench scoring with 12 points. Ermin Tarcin added seven points.
“(Trevecca) had a couple of outstanding post players and everyone we put in there did a good job defending them,” Bolen said. “Tyrice Watkins, Ermin Tarcin and Papa Gassama did an excellent job and gave us some valuable minutes.”
The win was big for Mountain State (2-0), No. 4 in the Street & Smith’s preseason poll but No. 12 in an online NAIA poll.
Trevecca, like MSU, was an NAIA Sweet 16 team last year and was in Street & Smith’s Top 20. The Trojans had planned on returning four starters this season but one of their standouts transferred to a Division I program.
Mountain State lost nine seniors from last year’s team, including four starters. And Paul Wright, expected to be a point producer this year, is out for three to four weeks with a dislocated elbow.
Mountain State will open its home schedule Tuesday with a Halloween tilt against Bluefield College. There will be trick-or-treating for youngsters around the Raleigh County Armory concourse beginning at 6 p.m. and the game will begin at 7 p.m.
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