Men's Basketball Wins at Warren Wilson

SWANNANOA, N.C. – The Lions defeated Warren Wilson 78-62 in men's basketball action Tuesday night in DeVries Gymnasium. Mars Hill improved to an even 3-3 on the season while the Owls fell to 5-6 on the year.

Tyree Griffin led all scorers with 22 points and nine rebounds to pace Mars Hill. Patrick Monroe and Valentine Bauer followed scoring 13 and 11 points in the contest, respectively. The Lions set a season high hitting 50% (8-16) from behind the arc. Mars Hill scored 24 points off Owl miscues, 12 second chance points and 46 points in the paint. MHU connected on 53.4% (31-58) of their field goal attempts, their second best effort this season.

Steven Horton, Jr. led the Owls with 14 points while Thomas Hay added 13 markers. The Lions' defense held WWC to convert on only 39% (23-59) of their field goals and 25% (6-24) of their 3-point attempts. The Owls won the battle of the boards, 39-32.

WWC jumped out to a 7-2 lead with 18:04 left in the first half after Hay hit a layup. The Lions then went on an 18-2 run to take an 11-point lead with 12:57 left in the first period after Monroe hit a 3-pointer. Mars Hill led by 12 points on two occasions in the first half of play before going into the locker room at the break ahead by 11 points (36-25).

Mars Hill maintained a double-digit lead the entire second half. The Lions enjoyed their largest lead of 22 points (48-26) with 16:07 left in regulation after Griffin hit a high percentage shot in the lane. The Owls cut the deficit to 11 point with 5:59 on the clock when Timothy Johnson scored in the paint but that was as close as WWC would get. Mars Hill cruised down the stretch to the 16-point (78-62) victory.

Mars Hill will host SAC rival Wingate on Saturday, December 5. Tip-off is set for a 4 p.m. start.