The Knights' 64-point second half was impressive, but the Pfeiffer Falcons calmly executed at the offensive end, shooting over 57 percent and scoring 54 points en route to a 103-95 Conference Carolinas victory over St. Andrews.
The loss sends St. Andrews to 3-12 overall and 1-8 in conference play this season. The Knights faced Pfeiffer (8-6, 5-2) just two days after a heartbreaking 83-82 loss at Anderson, a game SAPC lost on a tip-in at the buzzer.
The Knights are stuck in the Conference Carolinas cellar, tied with Lees-McRae for the worst record in the league. St. Andrews head coach Richie Schueler, in his first season at the helm, knows the good a win could do for his struggling team right now.
"Here's the thing: Right now, it has nothing to do with our ability to play basketball; it has everything to do with the confidence of our players," said Schueler.
"Our players are just as talented, and sometimes more talented, than others. It's really a matter of just giving us confidence.
"If we'd gotten over the top against Anderson on Saturday, I think it would have been a different ballgame tonight."
Pfeiffer grabbed a dozen offensive rebounds and forced 14 SAPC turnovers in the first half. The Falcons had 15 more shot attempts (42-27) and seven more makes (17-10) than the Knights in the first 20 minutes, and took a 49-31 lead into the intermission.
Foul trouble was also an issue, as guard Colby Poe picked up three fouls, and point guard Charles Phillips was called for two first-half fouls. Both players would eventually foul out. Center Zack Garst finished with four fouls for the Knights.
"The reason that we had difficulty is because we got so far behind in the first half," said Schueler. "We got in some foul trouble. We had a lot of guys get in foul trouble, and that was the difference.
"They're playing 13 guys, and I think we're playing 10."
St. Andrews started the second half with a 14-2 run. Poe hit a 3-pointer 11 seconds into the half, and Kurt Fenderbosch knocked down 3’s from each corner within 20 seconds of one another. A putback by Taiwon Grooms was followed by a 3-pointer by Joseph Gripper to cut the lead to 51-45 at the 16:50 mark.
A 3-point play by Grooms with 13:26 to play cut Pfeiffer's lead to 61-56. Pfeiffer was simply too efficient at the offensive end for the Knights to make up the entire deficit. The Falcons would outscored SAPC 27-14 over the next seven-plus minutes to take an 87-70 lead with just under seven minutes remaining.
The Knights continued to scratch and claw, using a 13-2 run to cut the lead to 89-83 with 4:07 to play. Fenderbosch hit a pair of 3-pointers during the run, and Garst had two baskets, one that resulted in a 3-point play.
Up 93-87, Pfeiffer got a big play from reserve guard Davon Gillard, who drove the ball and scored over Garst — 10 inches taller than he — while being knocked to the floor. Gillard converted the free throw for the 3-point play, and the Falcons led 96-87 with 1:22 remaining.
A three by Fenderbosch with 20.5 seconds left cut the lead to 100-95, but Robert McGriff made 3-of-4 free throws in the final seconds for Pfeiffer, and the Knights would not score again.
Garst had a strong all-round game for SAPC with 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting to go with team highs of 11 boards, five blocks and two steals. Grooms had a game-high 24 points on 7-of-13 shooting, and he also had eight rebounds and three assists.
Fenderbosch had 23 points for the Knights on 8-of-16 shooting, including 5-of-11 from 3-point range. Poe scored 11 of his 15 points in the second half, and Phillips had five points and a game-high 10 assists.
Thurl Bailey started at power forward for St. Andrews, but left with a leg injury three minutes into the game and would not return. Gripper — who has been very good as of late in the sixth man's role for SAPC — scored just nine points on 3-of-7 shooting.
A much deeper Pfeiffer team won the game in large part due to its bench production. The Falcons' bench outscored St. Andrews' reserves 56-12, and Gillard, Chris Donald and Trumaine Johnson all came off the pine and scored 12, 14 and 12 points, respectively.
McGriff led Pfeiffer with 21 points, hitting 6-of-11 shots from the field and 9-of-14 foul shots. Chris Woods had 12 points and eight rebounds.
The Falcons come at teams in waves, substituting five players at a time. Pfeiffer's full-court pressure caused problems for SAPC at pivotal moments in Monday's second half.
"Pfeiffer's a great team because they can do that. They do that well, and they're very deep," said Schueler. "It's not their talent level that beats you, it's their system. People have a hard time against their pressure."
St. Andrews hosts Queens University of Charlotte on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
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