Anderson's Shot Propels MHU to Victory

GREENEVILLE, Tenn. – Thomas Anderson nailed a 3-pointer as the buzzer sounded to lift the Lions over Tusculum College 90-87 in South Atlantic Conference men's basketball action on Wednesday night in Pioneer Arena. The Lions improved to 6-18 overall and 4-15 in the SAC. The Pioneers fell to 3-22 on the season and 2-17 in the league.

Besides the game winning basket by Anderson, Carter Wright led MHU with 27 points followed by Devonte Williams with a triple-double scoring 23 points adding 10 assists and pulling down 10 rebounds. Isaiah Cuthbertson added 15 points and seven boards. The Lions converted on 45.6% (31-68) of their shots from the floor and 44% (11-25) of their 3-point attempts in the win.

Darius Carter led the Pioneers with a game high 28 points followed by Chase Mounts who also notched a double-double with 22 points and 12 rebounds. The Pioneers scored 50 points in the paint and 24 second chance points.

A pair of back-to-back 3-pointers by Addison Flynn gave the Pioneers a 6-0 advantage with just over a minute into the first half. After that point Mars Hill settled down scoring six unanswered points of their own to tie the contest at 6-all with 17:49 on the clock after Carter Wright hit a shot from behind the arc. The next four minutes would be closely played. After leading by one point (19-18) with 13:19 left in the half, TC went on a 10-2 run to lead by nine points (29-20) with 10:25 left in the opening period after BJ Fisher nailed a 3-pointer. Once again the Lions regained their composure and outscored the Pioneers 33-13 to close out the first half and enjoy an 11-point lead (53-42) into the locker room at the break.

The second half was evenly played with the Lions holding the lead for the first 18 minutes of the period. A 3-pointer by Carter with 19:06 left in the second frame cut the Lions lead to nine points (55-47) and Tusculum would not trail by double-digits the remainder of the contest. A layup by Carter with 40 ticks left with 1:59 on the clock knotted the game at 85-85. The teams traded baskets on the next two possessions before MHU regained the ball after a missed shot by the Pioneers with five ticks left in the game. After a timeout, Anderson to hit the game winner as the buzzer sounded.

Mars Hill will host Newberry College on Saturday afternoon in Stanford Arena. The game is scheduled to start at 4 p.m.