Sturner
Al Case, Ashland Daily Photo
David Sturner led SOU on Saturday with 24 points and 12 rebounds.

No. 2 SOU fights off Cal Maritime for 93-92 win

12/14/2013 6:58:00 PM

Box Score ASHLAND – Make it 10 straight wins for the second-ranked Southern Oregon men's basketball team, though this was the most taxing of the bunch.

The lead was exchanged 14 times Saturday at Bob Riehm Arena, but the final advantage tipped in favor of the Raiders in their 93-92 defeat of the 23rd-ranked Cal Maritime Keelhaulers.

David Sturner (Philomath, Ore./Philomath) excelled across the board with 24 points on 9-for-13 shooting, 12 rebounds, three blocks and three steals, and his 3-pointer with just over seven minutes left put the Raiders (11-1 overall) up for good, 73-71.

Eric Thompson (Roseburg, Ore./Roseburg) scored the last of his 24 points on a free throw that gave SOU an 86-83 lead with 2:15 remaining. After a Keelhauler turnover, Jeff Bush (West Linn, Ore./West Linn) fed Sturner on a pick-and-roll for a dunk at the end of the shot clock, and Sturner got another layup seconds later thanks to his own steal.

Tim Weber (Roseburg, Ore./Roseburg) recorded 14 points and six assists, Kyle Tedder (Coos Bay, Ore./Marshfield) had 17 points with four 3-pointers, four assists and three steals, and Bush went for 13 points and seven assists for SOU.

Bush's free throws with 41 seconds left gave the Raiders their largest lead of the second half, 92-83. The final score was the result of Alec Fetzer's 3-point make at the buzzer.

Grant Blaser led a balanced Cal Maritime (10-4) effort with 17 points. Right behind him was Erik Hanson (15), Patrick Dungo (11), Casey Healy (10) and Dominique Barnes (10). The Keelhaulers hung around due to 50-percent shooting (34-for-68), 12 triples and a 35-2 advantage in bench scoring.

SOU shot 56 percent (32-for-57), though, with accurate outings from Tedder (6-for-7), Weber (5-for-7) and Bush (4-for-7) alongside Sturner. Thompson made six of his first seven shots, scoring 20 points in the first half, but missed nine straight before his jumper gave SOU an 85-81 lead.

Tedder went 4-for-5 from downtown to head SOU's 12-for-25 mark.

Sturner's double-double was his eighth of the season, and he's done it in six of SOU's last seven games. Thompson has been over 20 points now on seven occasions.

Each of SOU's wins had been by double figures before this one. All five Raider starters needed to play 30-plus minutes for the first time all year.

The Raiders will turn back toward Cascade Conference play, where they are 2-0, with games next Friday and Saturday at Eastern Oregon and College of Idaho. 

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