Lions Fall to Belmont Abbey

MARS HILL, N.C.-A late first half run sparked Belmont Abbey to an 80-70 victory over Mars Hill in non-conference action at Stanford Arena Tuesday evening.

A 14-0 run broke spanning the last 4:03 of the first half and 30 seconds of the second half broke open a 26-26 tie and gave the Crusaders all the cushion they would need. After that run, the Lions pulled no closer than six the rest of the way. Khouraichi Thiam notched a double-double for MHC, scoring 18 and grabbing 18 rebounds. Jay Council led five Crusaders in double-figures with 22 points Mars Hill is now 2-6 on the season. Belmont Abbey improved to 8-2.

Daron Guyton led all scorers with 23 points on 9-of-19 shooting for MHC. Kevin Haynes added 14 points on 6-of-15 shooting. The Lions outscored Belmont Abbey 50-34 in the paint. Mars Hill hit 42 percent (29-of-69) from the field.

Terrone Sheffey added 17 points on 5-of-7 shooting for the Crusaders. Darryl Durham notched a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Chris Davis chipped in with 12 points, while Tyshawn Good added 10. The Crusaders shot 45.3 percent (29-of-64) from the field.

Belmont Abbey took a 37-26 lead into the half after a first half that featured big runs for both teams. The Crusaders opened by scoring the first 10 points over the opening 4:53. All five Crusader starters scored in the opening run.

A later 9-0 run by Mars Hill brought the Lions back into the contest. Lay-ups by Guyton and Haynes cut the Belmont Abbey lead to 26-21 with 5:06 to play in the half. Thiam then converted an old-fashioned three-point play before Guyton tied the score with a high-flying fast-break dunk.

The Crusaders closed out the half with an 11-0 run to take command of the game. Eight straight points by Council, coming on a pair of threes and a jumper made the score 34-26, before a Sheffey three capped the run to open up a double-digit lead for the Crusaders. That run carried over the second half, which opened with another three by Council. That opened up a 14-point lead for Belmont Abbey.

The Lions pulled as close as six twice in the closing minutes. A free throw by Thiam cut the score to 70-64 with 4:21 to play. After a Durham bucket, a lay-up by Guyton cut the deficit back to six. Another lay-up by Durham pushed the score back to eight, and Mars Hill would get no closer the rest of the way.

Mars Hill will travel to Misenheimer, N.C. for a matchup with Pfeiffer on Jan. 2. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.