LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN, Ga. -- The Covenant men's basketball team started the 2021-22 season off right with a 67-63 victory over Asbury on Saturday afternoon.
Covenant saw three players in double figures. Chris Barnette led all scorers with 22 points, four rebounds, and seven assists. Will Crumly added 21 points, nine rebounds, and two blocks. And in his first start in a Scots uniform, Myles Jones contributed 16 points along with five rebounds.
In a game that saw 11 lead changes and five ties, the Scots battled hard for the entirety of the contest against the visiting Eagles.
After a 3-pointer by Eric Powell put Asbury up by six (11-5) at the 16:04 mark in the first period, Covenant would respond with a 14-4 run to take a 19-15 lead with just over 10 minutes to play in the half.
Barnette scored eight of the 14 points during the run, including two makes from behind-the-arc.
From there, the Scots would use an 11-3 run to go up on the Eagles 30-18 and take their largest lead of the game (12) with under six minutes left in the first period.
Asbury would begin to chip away at the lead, though, cutting Covenant's lead to eight heading into the second half (34-26).
The Eagles would then come out swinging in the second, tying it up at 38 at the 16:05 mark after a 12-4 scoring run. From there, it would be back-and-forth action, as both teams battled to go ahead.
With 7:50 left to play, the Scots found themselves down by five, 49-54. A layup from Crumly followed by a 3-pointer and lay-up from Jones quickly put Covenant back on top, 56-54, with 6:25 to go.
From then on, the Scots would not lose their lead again, as Barnette would go on to score seven of their last 11 points, helping his team seal their first victory of the season (67-63).
Covenant finished the contest going 23-for-52 from the field (44.2 percent) and 7-for-23 from downtown (30.4 percent).
Nick Fort led the Eagles with a double-double of 21 points and 20 rebounds. Dakotah Walden added 20 points and three steals.
UP NEXT
Covenant will face Centre at home on Tuesday, November 9. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
CONNECT WITH THE SCOTS
Be sure to follow the Scots all season long on athletics.covenant.edu and on social media at Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for up-to-date scores, news and other information.
