Lions Defeat Belmont Abbey for Second-Consecutive Win

MARS HILL, N.C.-Mars Hill used tight defense and several big runs to earn a 72-55 victory over Belmont Abbey to earn their second-consecutive victory in non-conference action at Stanford Arena Tuesday afternoon.

The Lions held the Crusaders to 37.3 percent shooting (19-of-51), while a 13-0 first half run and runs of 8-0 and 7-0 in the second half helped provide enough cushion for the victory. Armeka Booker led three Lions in double-figures with 19 points to go along with six rebounds Kelsey Long paced Belmont Abbey with 16 points on 5-of-12 shooting. The Lions have now won four-straight meetings over the Crusaders. Mars Hill improved to 3-5 on the season, while Belmont Abbey fell to 3-3 overall.

Ansley Ricker added 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting, including 3-of-5 from three-point range. Erica Warren scored 10 points on 5-of-7 shooting. Kelsey Espinosa added eight points and eight rebounds. Mars Hill held a 36-22 advantage in points in the paint and shot 45.6 percent (26-of-57) from the field. The Lions were 16-of-17 (94.1 percent) from the charity stripe and outrebounded the Crusaders 43-26.

Melisa Foures added 13 points and five rebounds for Belmont Abbey. Candace Fox scored six points and dished out six assists to only two turnovers. The Crusaders connected on 14-of-21 (66.7 percent) of their free throw attempts.

Tight defense by Mars Hill held Belmont Abbey without a field goal for 6:46. Over that time, the Lions outscored the Crusaders 13-0 to open up a 13-point lead. Booker started the run with a crafty post move for a lay-up off the glass, and finished a long feed from Kristen Metcalf in transition to put MHC up four. A Ricker three from the top of the key extended the run, while Espinosa hit a pair of free throws before an Autumn Ward offensive rebound and put-back gave the Lions a double-digit lead. A pair of free throws by Cadence Wilmoth capped the run and made the score 17-4 with 12:09 to play.

The Lions twice pushed the lead to 15, first taking a 21-6 lead on a slick backdoor feed from Katie Buckner to Warren for a reverse lay-up. MHC pushed the lead back to 23-8 off a lay-up by Espinosa with 5:56 to play in the half. The Lions owned the paint in the first half, holding a 20-10 scoring advantage in the painted area and 10-2 advantage in second-chance points.

The Crusaders cut the Lion lead to single digits, but a runner by Warren gave MHC a 29-19 advantage heading into the break. Mars Hill shot 35.5 percent overall in the half (11-of-31), while Belmont Abbey hit 32 percent from the field (8-of-25).

A 7-0 run spanning nearly three minutes pushed the Lion lead to 17. After Belmont Abbey cut the score to 36-26, a three by Ricker with the shot-clock winding down sparked the MHC surge. An Espinosa lay-in was followed by a Wilmoth banker off the glass to push the score to 43-26 with 13:54 to play.

An 8-0 run capped off an 18-5 surge by Mars Hill. An Espinosa bucket started the run, and back-to-back layups off back-door cuts by Warren and Ricker pushed the Lion advantage above 20. A pair of free throws by Taylor Tate capped the run, which ended with MHC holding a 54-31 advantage with 9:57 remaining. The Crusaders would get no closer than 13 the rest of the way.

Mars Hill will travel to Columbus, Ga. for a matchup with Columbus State on Saturday, Dec. 29. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.