Lions Lose Thriller to Wolves in Overtime
Michael Carson scored a career and team season high 33 points but the Lions fell to SAC rival Newberry College 108-100 in overtime in South Atlantic Conference men’s basketball action Saturday evening in Stanford Arena.
MARS HILL, N.C. – Michael Carson scored a career and team season high 33 points but the Lions fell to SAC rival Newberry College 108-100 in overtime in South Atlantic Conference men's basketball action Saturday evening in Stanford Arena. Mars Hill fell to 7-7 overall and 2-6 in the SAC. The Wolves improved to 13-1 on the season and 7-1 in the league. It was the Lions' first overtime game this year. The game saw eight ties and five lead changes.
Carson was 11-21 from the floor, 6-13 from behind the arc and a perfect 5-5 from the foul line. He scored 22 of his 33 points after halftime. Patrick Monroe followed with 14 points while Jalen Witherspoon added 13. Brandon McCarter came off the bench to score 12 points and pull down nine rebounds. Isaiah Cuthbertson pulled down a game high 13 rebounds and scored eight points. The Lions out rebounded Newberry, 48-40 in the loss.
Five players scored in double-figures for the Wolves led by Demarkus Smith with 27 and Mitch Riggs with 21. Smith added eight rebounds and was 9-11 at the free throw line. Newberry shot 53.5-percent from the floor in the contest and were 25-32 (78.1%) at the charity stripe. The Wolves were 15-15 from the foul line in the extra period. Fifty-six of the Wolves points came in the paint and 29 were off Lion miscues.
Mars Hill jumped out to a nine-point (16-7) lead with 14:26 on the clock after Witherspoon hit a layup. Newberry then went on a 16-4 run over the next six minutes to lead by three points (26-23) with 6:43 left in the first frame. The Wolves closed the half by outscoring MHU 21-10 to take a 14-point (47-33) lead into the locker room at the intermission.
Xavier Hill hit a 3-pointer with 10:59 left in the second half to give Newberry an 11-point advantage (62-51). After that point, the Lions went to work. They outscored the Wolves 22-11 during the next five minutes to tie the contest at 73-all after Kevin Haynes hit a shot from behind the arc. Carson scored 16 of his 33 points in this five-minute stretch to pull the Lions back into the game.
Mars Hill led by seven points (87-80) with 2:03 left in regulation before layups by Matthew Spears and Smith, followed by a 3-pointer by Gerald Evans tied the game at 87-87. Two Lion turnovers and a missed shot led to the Wolves comeback. Valentine Baur hit a tough driving layup to put MHU ahead 89-87 with 22 seconds left but on the Wolves next possession, Dondray Walker scored inside for Newberry with 11 ticks left to knot the contest at 89-all. He was fouled on the play must missed the ensuing go-ahead free throw. A long range 3-point attempt by Monroe missed its mark and the game was sent into overtime.
The story of the overtime period was free throw shooting. Newberry outscored the Lions 19-11 in the extra period and they were 15-for-15 from the foul line. Smith and Evans were both a perfect 6-6 from the charity stripe in the five-minute period. A layup by Riggs at the 3:51 mark put Newberry up 93-91 and they would not trail again.
Mars Hill will play at Anderson Wednesday night. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m.