William Carey rallies from 22-point deficit to beat UT-Southern in dramatic comeback
HATTIESBURG, Miss. — William Carey staged one of its most remarkable comebacks Thursday night at Clinton Gymnasium, rallying from a 22-point halftime deficit to beat UT-Southern 89-75.
Head coach Steve Knight praised his team’s resilience. “Tennessee Southern definitely wanted it more than we did for the majority of the first half, but we did pick it up on both ends for the final six or so minutes,” he said. “We were very intense the second half and created turnovers with our press and shot it very well. Really proud of our resilience and for creating havoc with our defense in the second half.”
The Firehawks started strong, opening with a three from Antonio Cochran and quickly building a 16–2 lead. De’Marreon Baldwin contributed with a series of jumpers and a layup, pushing the lead to 30–8. Carey responded with a rally, with Malik Franklin hitting three consecutive three-pointers to cut the deficit to 41–31 with two minutes remaining in the half. Makeem Roberts added another long-range shot, and Franklin nailed a fourth triple to make it 43–36 at halftime.
Carey came out energized after the break. Jamar Jenkins and Randarius Hughes scored layups early, tying the game, before Javeon Gordon hit a three to give the Crusaders their first lead of the night at 48–45. UT-Southern briefly regained momentum with a transition three from Mike Bell, but Carey quickly responded. Jenkins and Gordon connected on back-to-back threes, igniting a 19–3 run over six minutes that pushed the lead to 69–51.
William Carey continued to control the game, with Hughes scoring back-to-back buckets and Troy Dunn adding free throws to extend the lead to 75–55 with eight minutes remaining. The Crusaders maintained their advantage and secured the win in commanding fashion.
Five players scored in double figures, led by Jenkins with 19 points. Franklin added 13, while Roberts, Hughes, and Gordon each scored 12. Roberts also set a school record with six steals, surpassing Dexter Pugh’s 28-year-old record with 104 steals this season.
The Crusaders conclude the regular season Saturday, hosting Blue Mountain Christian at 2 p.m., according to school officials.
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