Men’s Basketball Wins at Lees-McRae

BANNER ELK, N.C. - Mars Hill's men's basketball team won at Lees-McRae College Monday night at Williams Gymnasium, 90-78. Sammy Emile and Terrell Harris scored 29 and 27 points in the contest, respectively.

Mars Hill (1-2) scored 46 points in the paint and 29 off Bobcat turnovers. MHC shot 55.8% (29-52) from the floor, 47.1% from behind the arc and 75% (24-32) at the free throw line in the game. Petar Kostic led the Lions on the boards with 10 rebounds followed by Emile with eight. Jeremiah Henry led LMC (0-2) with 18 points and nine rebounds.

The Lions struggled in the first half. LMC jumped out to a 12-point lead (28-16) with 11:45 remaining in the period after B.J. Battle hit a shot in the lane. MHC was able to trim the deficit to eight points (47-39) at the break. LMC shot 61.8% (21-34) from the floor in the first half.

The Lions started the second frame on a 14-4 run to take a 53-51 advantage at the 16:02 mark after Emile nailed a 3-pointer. MHC would not trail again. The Lions extended their lead to as many as 16 points on two different occasions down the stretch en route to the 12 point victory.

In the second half, MHC hit 61.8% of their shots and converted 7-10, 3-pointers. MHC won the rebound battle, 36-27.

The Lions will play at NCAA Division I rival UNC Asheville on Wednesday night. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.