Men's Basketball Loses SAC Opener

JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – The Lions' men's basketball team lost to SAC rival Carson-Newman on the road Wednesday night 92-64. Mars Hill fell to 1-5 overall while the Eagles, ranked no. 23 in the current NABC poll, improved to 7-0 on the season. It was the conference opener for both squads.

Charles Moore led the Lions with 13 points and four assists while Brandon Watkins and Matthew Powell added 10 points apiece. Watkins led the Lions with seven rebounds. Mars Hill shot 40.7% (22-54) from the floor, 50% (9-18) from three-point range and 73.3% (11-15) from the foul line.

Josh Murray and Mason Bates led the Eagles scoring 16 points each. Charles Clark followed with 15 points. Murray tallied a game high 11 rebounds to record a double-double. C-N hit 57.1% (36-63) of their shots from the floor, 45.8% (11-24) of their three-point shots and 60% (9-15) of their free throw attempts. The Eagles out rebounded the Lions, 36-26. The Eagles scored 48 points in the paint, 26 points off Mars Hill miscues and received 49 points from their bench.

A three-pointer by Bates with 13:22 left in the first half gave the Eagles a 12-9 lead and C-N would never trail again. The Eagles went on a 20-9 run over the next eight minutes to lead by 14 points (32-18) after Bates made another shot from behind the arc. The Eagles closed out the first half of play outscoring Mars Hill 13-7 to go into the locker room holding a 20 point (45-25) advantage.

Mars Hill would not get any closer in the second half. The Eagles began the second period on a 24-9 run to enjoy a 35 point lead with 11:21 on the clock after Parker Role' scored inside. C-N led by as many as 37 points (74-37) with 8:23 left in regulation after Grant Teichmann scored in the paint. The Eagles would hold on to a comfortable lead for the remainder of the contest to secure a 92-64 victory.

Mars Hill will play at SAC foe Wingate on Saturday, December 2. Tip-off in Cuddy Arena is set for 4 p.m.