Roark, Quarles Lead Erskine to Win Over Newberry
Junior guard Darrin Quarles shook off shooting woes which have plagued him the last two games to hit a big three-pointer with 52 seconds to play to lift Erskine to a 72-66 win over Newberry on Thursday night.
Quarles' shot, which was assisted on a fine pass by freshman Brandon Moses, put the Fleet up 68-66 and four Hunter Roark free throws sealed the victory. It was only fitting Roark would be the one in position to make the shots in the end. The 6-5 senior scored 25 points on the night as he dominated the Indians inside players. He also grabbed 8 rebounds for the Fleet.
Erskine continued its struggles shooting. The Fleet connected on only 26 of 74 shot attempts (35%) and misfired on 24 of 32 three point attempts (25%). Sophomore Colibar Matos kept the Fleet ahead in the first half with 8 points and two three pointers.
Erskine led 37-33 at halftime but could never push the lead past 6 points in the second half. Freshman Brandon Burris gave Erskine a huge lift in the second half scoring 11 points and grabbing 8 rebounds. Sophomore Jeff Wiersma led the Fleet's rebounding efforts with nine.
"This is a big win because it is a win. Right now we just need to learn what that winning feeling is like and want that taste more often. We played well defensively but our shooting must snap out of the slump we have found ourselves in. We have good shooters, we have to start making shots," remarked Head Coach Mark Peeler.
Erskine next plays Saturday at Presbyterian. Game time is 7:00 pm.
