Women's Basketball Defeats Lenoir-Rhyne

MARS HILL, N.C. – The Mars Hill women's basketball team fought off a pesky Lenoir-Rhyne team on Saturday, January 16 to capture its fourth straight win. The winning streak is the longest since a similar four-game stretch during the 2011-12 season. MHU improves to 7-8 overall and 6-4 in the SAC while L-R drops to 4-10 and 3-7 within the league.

Ansley Ricker turned in another brilliant performance as she led the Lions offensively with a game-high 19 points, including four from behind the arc. Kelsey Espinosa was a catalyst as well for MHU as she netted 18 points on 7-12 from the field to go along with six boards. Genice Lane tallied a team-high 10 rebounds while also making key defensive plays, collecting two blocks and three steals.

Shelly Harper turned in 13 points for the Bears and Brooke Robinson grabbed 10 boards. The Lions held L-R to a miserable 32% from the field, including 23% from three.

Both teams struggled to score early as they deadlocked at an 8-8 score with just over three minutes remaining in the opening frame. A long three for the Bears ignited a quick 7-2 spurt that gave them breathing room at 15-10, which would also be the score at the end of one.

Trying to improve off of a less-than-stellar shooting performance in the first, Espinosa collected four quick points and Ricker drained a three from the top of the key to fuel a 7-2 run for the Lions that knotted the contest at 17-all with seven minutes before the half. From that point a basket was hard to come by for either side until Ricker netted another bomb and Cadence Wilmoth grabbed an offensive rebound and bullied her way to the basket for a score to give the Lions a 27-25 lead heading into the break.

Lenoir-Rhyne started the second half much as it did the first with a basket, but MHU turned up the defensive pressure and forced three consecutive turnovers, resulting in eight fast break points, capped off by Ricker's old-fashioned three point play to give the home team its biggest lead thus far at 35-27.

Farrah Young tried to spark some energy into the Bears as she connected from downtown, but the Lions once again answered with five straight points after Lane grabbed an offensive board and laid it gently over the front of the rim to extend their lead. Mars Hill entered the fourth quarter clinging to a 42-36 lead.

L-R came out firing to start the final quarter, outscoring the Lions 7-3 over the first three-plus minutes to cut the deficit to two points at 45-43. From that point Espinosa imposed her will near the basket as she scored six of the team's next eight points and helped control a 51-50 lead for the Lions with under a minute to play. Ricker and Wilmoth calmly knocked down four shots from the charity stripe and a desperation three from the Bears overshot the basket to seal the fourth consecutive win for Mars Hill, 55-52.

The Lions will return to action when they travel to Brevard, N.C. on Wednesday, January 20 to face the Tornado. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.