Catawba's last second bucket sinks Lions on road

SALISBURY, N.C. - The Mars Hill men's basketball team (1-5, 1-5 SAC) was narrowly edged by Catawba (3-5, 3-5 SAC), 83-81, Saturday afternoon on the road.

With 5:23 to play, Michael Houge tied the game at 69 after hitting both free throw attempts.  Less than a minute later, Austin Gilyard's layup gave the Lions the 71-69 advantage, but Catawba answered with a Marcus Burwell three-pointer.

Gilyard drained a three-pointer to extend the Lions' lead to four with 2:31 to play.  A 4-0 run by the Indians tied the game up and layups traded between Larry McLeod and Isayah Johnson saw the teams remain tied with 1:01 remaining.  In the waning seconds, Burwell's layup put the Indians up by two just before the buzzer sounded.

With just over 6:10 played in the contest, Reggie Wright converted on a three-point play to give the Lions an 11-10 lead, but the Indians responded by going on a 4-0 run.  Moments later, a Johnson layup saw the Lions regain the lead, 17-16, with 10:42 remaining in the half.  An Indians' 7-0 run put them up by six with Tyrek Williams netting five points in during that run.

Gilyard's free throw with under seven minutes to play tied the game at 27, but moments later, Taqwain Drummond placed Catawba ahead once more.  The Indians maintained the lead for the remainder of the half, closing out the opening 20 minutes with the 47-43 advantage.

Wright led all players with 16 points in the half, going 6-of-9 from the floor, including three three-pointers.  Johnson added eight points while Cooke pulled down five rebounds.  Williams led the Indians with 15 points and six rebounds.

Trailing 61-55 with 11:57 to play, the Lions began their comeback bid.  Nassyr Daniel's layup was the catalyst for an 8-2 run to tie the game at 63.  Daniel had four points in the span.  The Indians responded with a 6-0 run capped off by a McLeod dunk.  The Lions matched the run moments later.

The Lions outscored Catawba with a balanced attack in the second half, 38-36, as Johnson and Gilyard each recorded eight points followed by Cooke's seven.  McLeod paced the Indians' offense with 12 points in 20 minutes.

Wright led all players with 21 points followed by Johnson's 16.  Cooke ended the game with 12 points and nine rebounds.  Williams led the Indians with 20 points and nine rebounds followed by McLeod's 16.

Mars Hill returns to action on Monday, February 1 when they take on Tusculum.  Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.