Pioneers Hold Off Bluefield for 93–83 Win, Earn Second Straight Victory

The Spartanburg Methodist College men's basketball team nearly led from start to finish in a 93–83 win over Bluefield on Saturday, securing its second straight victory.

The Pioneers (6–17, 4–11 AAC) were led by Calvin Brown's 23-point performance. Kennedy Aiken-Shannon added 22 points, while CJ Terrell recorded a double-double with 13 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. Zenai Davis provided a spark off the bench, finishing with 14 points and seven rebounds.

Bluefield (3–19, 3–12 AAC) placed three players in double figures despite the loss. Ke'Shaun Tonsall led the Rams with 18 points, Elijah White added 15, and Shaft Clark recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

"Tonight was a big win for us," said SMC head coach Blake Jackson. "I really like how well we are sharing the ball and playing together. You have to give Bluefield a lot of credit—they fought extremely hard."

SMC sophomore Hunter DeCuir took advantage of the starting nod, knocking down a pair of three-pointers to give the Pioneers an early 8–0 lead. Brown picked up where DeCuir left off, scoring 19 of his 23 points in the first half as SMC carried a 57–39 advantage into the break. The 57 first-half points marked a season high for the Pioneers, who shot 57.6 percent from the field over the opening 20 minutes.

Late in the second half, White helped trim the deficit to one, making it a 75–74 game with 5:55 remaining. The Pioneers responded behind the hot shooting of Aiken-Shannon, who scored eight points down the stretch to push SMC ahead 88–80 with 1:19 left. SMC sealed the victory by converting five of its final six free throws.

For the game, the Pioneers went 16-for-18 from the free-throw line and assisted on 19 of their 30 made field goals. Kelton Teasley led the team with seven assists in the win.

SMC will return to action on Wednesday, hosting Milligan at 7:30 p.m. in the teams' first meeting of the 2025–26 season.