FINAL SCORE: Apprentice School 79, Virginia Univ. Lynchburg 69

RECORDS: Apprentice School 3-3, Virginia Univ. Lynchburg 0-2

LOCATION: Apprentice School Athletic Facility/Newport News, Va.

IN BRIEF: The Builders earned their third win of the season Wednesday night as Christian Cooper got hot from deep-range, hitting 6 3-pointers to lead the team with 20 points. Zach Johnson and Jay Melendez each recorded double-doubles, while Cameron Perry netted 13 points.

ON THE COURT

• Shaun Innis opened up the scoring, but the Dragons would tie the game and then take an early 5-2 lead as Keyshawn Williams made a 3-pointer at 18:52. A couple Taaron White buckets and a William Wilcox layup helped the Builders wrestle back control 12-11 at the 11:59 mark.
• A pair of baskets gave the Dragons a 15-12 advantage, but the Builders responded with a 6-0 swing as Melendez and Cooper hit back-to-back 3-pointers. Virginia-Lynchburg wouldn't go away, though, and would pull even at 20-20 and again at 22-22.
• With 5:48 to play in the opening half, the Builders then broke open the scoring with a 20-0 run, highlighted by four Cooper 3-pointers.
• The Dragons made a 3-pointer of their own and added a basket with 0:33 to play, but Johnson would be sent to the free-throw line and make both attempts to give the Apprentice School a commanding 44-27 lead at the break.
• In the second half, the Dragons couldn't chip away at the Builder lead. The visitors made a couple 3-pointers to make it 48-35, but Cooper responded with yet another 3-pointer.
• The Apprentice School extended its lead to 24 points (75-51, 4:26) as a pair of Johnson free throws capped off a 16-5 run by the Builders. The Dragons responded with a 10-0 run of their own, but with only 1:59 left in the game, they couldn't overcome a 14-point Apprentice lead. Virginia-Lynchburg would make a 3-pointer with 0:23 on the clock, but the Dragons were still down by 10 points and both teams would make a free throw for the final score.

BEHIND THE BOXSCORE

• Four players scored in double digits. Cooper led the team with 20 points and was hot from beyond the arc, making 6 3-pointers. Two players recorded double-doubles as Johnson scored 16 points and 14 rebounds, while Melendez netted 14 points and pulled down 12 boards. Perry contributed 13 points and had 5 assists on the night.
• The Builders shot 39.7% (31-of 78) from the field, 35% (7-of-20) from 3-point range, and 71.4% (10-of-14) from the free-throw line.
• The team out-rebounded their opponents 50-48 and led in assists (16-14), committed fewer turnovers (16-22), points off turnovers (20-17), 2nd chance points (15-6), and points in the paint (38-36).
• The Builders scored 14 points off the bench, while the Dragons' bench was held scoreless.
• The game featured 4 ties and 6 lead changes.

NEXT UP

The Builders head up to Phoenixville, Pa. on December 5th for a 3 p.m. game against the University of Valley Forge. The Patriots enter the contest with a 2-5 record after falling 85-68 on November 28th to Neumann University (Pa.).

The next home basketball game for the Apprentice School will be next Tuesday, December 8th as the Lady Builders host the Washington Adventist University (Md.) Shock. Tipoff for the game has been changed from 7 p.m to 6 p.m. Fans attending the game can park on the 3rd deck of the parking garage located on the corner of 31st Street and West Avenue adjacent to the south side of the Apprentice School. Parking attendants will be located on the west side of the garage as well as around the perimeter of the school.  Additional directional signage will be in place to lead you to the garage.

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