Emile sparks Men’s Basketball over Newberry

MARS HILL, N.C. - Sammy Emile recorded a double-double with 30 points and a season-high 14 rebounds to lead Mars Hill to an 86-79 victory over Newberry. The Lions improve to 7-12 overall, 4-7 in the South Atlantic Conference, while the Wolves fall to 9-10 overall, 4-7 in league play.

Donterious Hughes added 19 points for Mars Hill. Dion Malachi had 14 points.

Chris Reynolds scored 15 points for Newberry. Danny Huffor had 12 points. Jawuan Lockhart had 11. Tony Davis registered 11 rebounds.

The Wolves jumped out to a 21-7 lead. A tip-in by Charles Ndoloum gave Newberry a 14-point lead at the 15:04 mark of the first half.

Down 26-15, the Lions answered with a 13-1 spurt. A layup by Hughes made the score 28-27 in favor of Mars Hill with 8:44 left in the first period.

The rest of the half was a back-and-forth affair. Newberry's Shamel Akins converted an old-fashioned three-point play as time expired to knot the score at 46 at intermission.

Mars Hill opened up a double-digit lead with 8:51 left in the game. A free throw from Tarron Stewart gave the Lions a 69-59 advantage.

The Wolves got as close as one point at 78-77 with 1:24 left off a layup by Reynolds. However, Newberry would get no closer. Mars Hill hit six straight free throws in the final 29 seconds to ice the game.

The Lions were 31-38 from the free throw line. Newberry was 13-25 from the charity stripe.

Mars Hill will travel to Anderson on Saturday, February 5. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. ET.