MONTGOMERY, Ala. ------ Middle Georgia shot better than 90 percent from the charity stripe and collected 27 second-chance points thanks to 21 offensive rebounds, as the Knights defeated the Auburn Montgomery men's basketball team 75-66 Monday.

NOTES
• With the loss, the Warhawks fell to 4-13 overall on the year.
• Middle Georgia improved to 6-5 on the season.
• Lafayette James-Core finished with a career-high 17 points, bettering his previous career best of 16 against Union on Nov. 17.

STANDOUT PERFORMERS
• James-Core finished 6-of-8 from the field, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range, in just 19 minutes. He added a pair of rebounds.
• Darrion Taylor hit three 3-pointers en route to 11 points. He added three assists and two steals.
• Romoane Eager finished with 10 points, seven rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal off the bench.
• Julius McCoy hit a trio of 3-pointers to finish with nine points.
• AUM's leading scorer Desmond DeRamus was held to nine points, but he did contribute five rebounds, two assists and two steals.
• Kieston Standfield finished with a game-high 20 points and 10 rebounds for the Knights.
• Cory Reid (15), Pat Edmonds (12) and Marques Hinton (10) also scored in double figures for Middle Georgia.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
• The Knights opened the contest with a 15-6 run during the first 6:12 of the contest, a run capped by a pair of free throws by JeVaughn Sanchez.
• The Warhawks climbed back into the contest with a 9-2 spurt, with DeRamus draining a trey with 9:58 remaining in the half to pull AUM to within 17-15.
• Middle Georgia extended its lead to eight points on a 3-pointer by RoShaun Milline with 9:03 left in the half, but AUM battled back and cut the deficit to one, 29-28, on a Jarett Croff layup with 2:26 remaining.
• The Knights closed the half with a 7-2 spurt, capped by a Standfield trey as time expired.
• AUM stayed close, trailing just 46-41, following a layup by James-Core with 14:29 remaining.
• Middle Georgia took control of the game with an 8-0 run, upping its lead to 54-41 with 9:26 left.
• The Warhawks closed the deficit to as few as four points, 56-52, following Michael Bryant's layup with 6:54 remaining in regulation.
• Despite cutting into the lead, the Warhawks were unable to get closer down the stretch.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
• Middle Georgia scored its final 19 points from the charity stripe and were held without a field goal for the final 8:21 of the contest.
• AUM finished 23-of-58 from the field, including 11-of-32 from distance. The Warhawks hit 9-of-13 shots from the charity stripe.
• Middle Georgia finished 21-of-65 from the floor, but just 4-of-20 from behind the arc. The Knights converted 29-of-32 free throws.
• The Warhawks committed 19 turnovers, leading to 20 points by the Knights. Middle Georgia committed 15 miscues, which AUM turned into 13 points.
• The Knights held a 45-36 edge on the glass, but a strong 21-11 advantage on the offensive boards. The advantage led to a 27-11 lead in second-chance points.
• AUM's bench held a 26-14 advantage in scoring.
 
UP NEXT
The Warhawks will return to action Thursday, Jan. 12, when they travel to Kentucky Wesleyan for a 7:45 p.m. contest.