Men's Basketball Loses Season Opener

BELMONT, N.C. – The Lions' men's basketball team lost their season opener at Belmont Abbey Friday night at the Wheeler Center, 81-77. It was the season opener for the Crusaders as well.

Justin Yeargin led the Lions with 19 points and seven rebounds followed by Tyree Griffin with 14 points and six boards. Michael Carson and Patrick Monroe added 12 points apiece. MHU shot 46.2% (30-65) from the floor, 44% (11-25) from 3-point range and 50% (6-12) from the foul line. Belmont Abbey out rebounded the Lions, 43-39.

Deion Lane led all scorers with 26 points and nine rebounds. Drexier Carter followed with 16 points while Ray Chen tallied 13 points in the contest.

The Crusaders jumped out to a seven-point (12-5) lead with 17:23 on the clock in the first half after Chen hit a layup. Belmont Abbey would lead by as many as 10 points (31-21) with 8:39 left in the first frame after Nicholas Fullard hit a shot in the lane. Mars Hill battled back and outscored the Crusaders 20-13 to close out the first period and trail 44-41 at the break.

A layup by Monroe at the 15:58 mark gave the Lions a 49-48 advantage. The Crusaders then went on a 26-14 run to take their largest lead of 11 points (74-63) with 3:44 left in the game. Mars Hill clawed back into the contest outscoring the Crusaders 14-5 over the next three minutes of play to cut the deficit to just two points (79-77) after Monroe hit a shot from behind the arc with 30 seconds left in regulation. The Lions were forced to foul down the stretch and Belmont Abbey went 2-4 at the charity stripe to seal the four-point victory.

The Lions will face Limestone on Saturday, November 14. Tip-off for the second round of the Conference Carolinas/South Atlantic Conference Challenge is set for 5 p.m.