Mars Hill downed by Catawba
The Mars Hill men's basketball team (5-5, 3-1 SAC) was defeated by a score of 94-76 Saturday afternoon versus Catawba (7-2, 3-1 SAC).
MARS HILL, N.C. - The Mars Hill men's basketball team (5-5, 3-1 SAC) was defeated by a score of 94-76 Saturday afternoon versus Catawba (7-2, 3-1 SAC).
With 4:24 elapsed in the second half, the Lions held a 50-49 lead. Catawba responded with a 9-2 run to retake a four-point lead. The Lions answered back, tying the game at 56 with just over 12 minutes to play before the Indians began to pull away. A 10-2 run provided the Indians an eight-point advantage and a lead that would not be relinquished for the remainder of the contest.
With under five minutes to play, Catawba began to pull away, highlighted by a late 7-0 run to lead 87-70 with just under two minutes to play.
The Indians shot 50 percent from the floor in the final 20 minutes of play while the Lions hit 21 percent of their attempts in the second half, dropping their first South Atlantic Conference game of the season.
The first half saw a back-and-forth affair with Catawba holding a 15-8 lead with 12:05 remaining in the frame. A Mars Hill 6-0 run pulled the Lions within one before Catawba fought back with a 6-0 run of their own following back-to-back three-pointers. Following a David Elkins three-pointer with 8:07 left in the half to cut the Catawba lead down to three, the Indians reeled off six straight to go up by nine.
Trailing 30-23 with under six minutes in the first, Austin Gilyard led the Lions' charge to retake the lead. An 8-0 saw Gilyard record seven of his 11 first half points, putting Mars Hill up 31-30 with 3:57 remaining. In the final minute of play, down by three, Jamal Bryant recorded his 11th point of the frame, draining a deep three-pointer to tie the game at 39, however, four Indians' points in the final 16 seconds saw Catawba carry a 43-39 advantage into the half.
Six Catawba players ended the game in double-digits with Devin Cooper and Larry McLeod each recording 15 points, leading the team. Marcell Haskett added 14 while both Malik Constantine and Terrence Whitfield each ended the day with 12 points.
Gilyard led all players with 20 points followed by Ja'Shawn Brooks' 15 on the afternoon. Bryant ended the contest with 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds.
The Lions take on Carson-Newman on Wednesday, December 18 on the road at 7:30 p.m.