Men's Basketball Drops Contest Against Limestone

MARS HILL, N.C. – The Mars Hill men's basketball team fell to Limestone College 85-71 on Saturday evening in the final game of the SAC/Conference Carolinas Challenge. The Lions' record is now even at 1-1, while the Saints also stand at 1-1.

Valentin Bauer led the Lions offensively with 18 points, while Bennett Wilson and Vernon Jackson chipped in 14 and 10 points, respectively. Limestone's Shaq Dance led all scorers with a game-high 26 points. The Saints held a small 33-29 advantage on the boards. MHU shot 46.8-percent (29-62) from the floor, while Limestone turned in a 54.5-percent clip (30-55).

The first four and a half minutes of the contest was a heavily even affair. Mars Hill took a slim 9-6 lead following a blow-by layup by Bauer entering the first media timeout. Limestone used a big 18-4 run following the break to take a 24-13 lead with just under 12 minutes remaining in the opening stanza.

With the score at 28-16 in favor of Limestone, Bauer used a personal 6-0 run and the rest of the Lions followed suite on their way to a 12-2 run, cutting the deficit to 30-28 heading into the final media timeout of the first half. After the Saints reeled off four in a row, Wilson drained a deep three and followed that up with an old-fashioned three-point play to even the score at 34-all. However, Limestone tallied the final seven points of the half to take a 41-34 lead into halftime.

Limestone used a 14-4 run to open the second half and 23-11 over the initial eight and a half minutes, ballooning its lead to 64-45. From that point the two teams traded baskets at their respective ends of the court. Mars Hill narrowed the gap to 76-60 with four minutes to play, but the gap was too wide as Limestone finished off the game with a score of 85-71.

The Lions will return to action on Monday, November 14, traveling to Spartanburg, S.C. to take on USC Upstate. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.