Roadrunners hold on to first in SSAC; Bethel is up next

Published 11:19 pm Thursday, February 19, 2015

When Dalton State College’s men’s basketball team has needed a lift from someone other than a starter this season, it’s often been guard Jamaine Burrey who has brought the offensive firepower.

Thursday night, he was able to be that spark again, scoring 20 of his game-high 23 points in the second half to help the Roadrunners overcome a 10-point second-half deficit and earn a 66-62 victory at Blue Mountain (Miss.) College to stay atop the Southern States Athletic Conference standings.

Dalton State (23-3, 13-2) entered ranked No. 6 in the latest National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Division I coaches poll released Tuesday and remained a game and a half ahead of second-place Martin Methodist College, which defeated Bethel University 102-93 Thursday.

Meanwhile, Blue Mountain (11-14, 6-10) finds itself only one spot out of last place in the SSAC’s 13-team standings.

Point guard Sean Tate was the only other Roadrunner in double figures, scoring 16 points while going 4-for-9 from behind the 3-point line.

Shane Butler and Filip Vukovic were the only Toppers to reach double figures, scoring 18 and 11 points, respectively.

Dalton State led 32-30 at halftime, but Blue Mountain opened the second 20 minutes on a 17-5 run to take a 47-37 lead with 12:51 remaining.

The Roadrunners began chipping away at the lead during the next six minutes and took the lead back at 56-55 on a field goal by LaDaris Green with 5:51 remaining.

The Roadrunners led 63-62 with 14 seconds left when Burrey put the finishing touches on the game with a 3-pointer, and Blue Mountain couldn’t respond with a 3-pointer on its next possession as the final horn sounded.

Burrey finished 5-for-9 from 3-point range and he almost single-handedly led the Roadrunners, who outscored the Blue Mountain bench 25-16 for the game.

The Roadrunners will travel on Saturday to McKenzie, Tenn., to face Bethel University — which beat Dalton State 56-53 on its homecoming night on Jan. 31 — for a 6 p.m. tipoff.