Pioneers Come Back Comes Up Short in 90-86 Loss to Carolina

Down two with :21 to go, a tightly contested layup by Spartanburg Methodist College senior Bryan Bayonne fell short and visiting Carolina University gained possession as the ball went out of bounds.

Audree Polk sealed the win for the Bruins, making a pair of free throws with :05 to go to put the finishing touches on a 37-point game. Polk made 11 of 14 free throws and was 11 of 20 from the field as Carolina raised its record to 9-13 on the season. Polk was joined in double figures by Davon Cottle and Chris High, who had 23 and 12 points, respectively.

Spartanburg Methodist College, who falls to 8-14 on the season, was led by a 29-point effort from Bryan Bayonne. The senior from Baton Rouge was on the court for the entire 40 minutes and made 16 of 17 free throws and was 6 of 13 from the field to lead the Pioneers. Richard Rojas came off the bench to score 18.

Bayonne knocked down two free throws with 2:13 to play to cut the deficit to nine, 81-72. Then, after a SMC timeout, Tavarez Lacey stole the in-bounds pass for a thunderous dunk to raise the noise level inside Bridges Arena. The dunk set the tone for a 13-4 run that included another electric dunk by Lacey for a three-point play to make it a one-point game, 87-86 with :25 to go.

After a foul by the Pioneers, Cottle made one of two free throws with :23 to go to set up for the effort by Bayonne and SMC in the closing seconds.

Despite the loss, SMC shot 50.9% from the field (29-for-57) for its third-best effort on the season. The 29 points by Bayonne marks the fifth time on the season that he has scored 29 or more and been in double figures in 21 of 22 games.

Next, SMC will host Mid-Atlantic Christian on Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m.