BREVARD, N.C. -- Bailey Spragg nearly had a triple-double and Will Crumly scored 24 points to help the Covenant men's basketball team cruise past Brevard, 79-67, on Friday night inside Boshamer Gym.
The win for Covenant (15-7, 14-1 USA South) keeps the Scots atop the USA South West Division and one win away from clinching at least a share of a regular season title. The 14th conference win also ties a program record for conference victories in a season.
Spragg totaled 17 points to go with eight rebounds and seven assists, while Crumly was 9-of-11 from the field and 5-of-5 at the foul line for his game-high 24 points. Covenant shot 53.8 percent (28-of-52) from the field, marking the 12th time this season the Scots have surpassed 50 percent shooting in a game.
It was all Scots early on as Covenant used a 12-0 run in the opening minutes to open up a 17-4 lead. James Mitchell and Mitchell Hollis each had a 3-pointer during the run that gave the Scots a double-digit advantage, one they would hold for most of the night.
Brevard trimmed its deficit to single digits (25-19) later in the half, but Covenant outscored the host Tornados 20-8 over the final seven-plus minutes of the period to gain a 45-27 lead at the break.
A Crumly basket on the opening possession of the second half extended the Scots' lead to 20. The lead stayed in the double-figure range for most of the second half, stretching out to as many as 23 at 66-43 after a Mitchell 3-pointer with 10:55 remaining. Brevard made a run late in the half to cut the lead to nine (74-65), but another Mitchell 3-pointer was the final dagger with just over a minute left.
Mitchell finished with 12 points on four 3-pointers. Daevon Platt threw down a monstrous dunk late in the second half and ended with six points and seven rebounds as he made a second straight start. Hollis added nine points, five assists, and four rebounds, while Noah Oetjen contributed eight points and two assists off the bench.
Covenant hit eight 3-pointers on the night and made 15-of-17 at the foul line. The Scots had 20 assists on 28 made field goals.
Brevard (5-17, 2-13 USA South) received 16 points from Qadhafi Turner and 13 from Joshua Wilson. The Tornados made just 37.9 percent (22-of-58) from the floor with five 3-pointers and an 18-for-22 effort at the foul line.
UP NEXT
Covenant concludes the road trip on Saturday at Piedmont. Tip-off inside Cave Arena in Demorest, Ga., is set for 4 p.m.
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