Lions Fall to Carson-Newman

MARS HILL, N.C. – The Mars Hill women's basketball team was handed a 90-52 loss at the hands of Carson-Newman on Saturday, December 31 inside Chambers Gymnasium. MHU falls to 2-10 overall and 0-6 in the conference, while C-N improved to 7-5 overall and 4-2 within the league.

Aliyah Farmer led the Lions in scoring with 17, while Paige Chavis chipped in 10. Jenny Edwards pulled down a game-high 9 rebounds. The Lions struggled offensively, connecting on 15-of-52 shots for a total of 28.8%.

The first four minutes of the contest was a back-and-forth affair with four lead changes. Following a layup by Aliyah Farmer to put the Lions ahead 7-6, Carson-Newman reeled off 14 consecutive points and 19-of-21 to take a commanding 25-9 lead following one quarter of play.

Carson-Newman outscored Mars Hill 24-15 in the second quarter to control a 49-24 margin going into halftime. The Eagles capitalized on miscues from the Lions, converting 15 turnovers into 14 points. Mars Hill finished the first half with a dismal 28% clip from the field (7-25), while C-N connected on 20-of-37 shots for 54.1%.

The Eagles used a massive 13-2 run midway through the third quarter to balloon their lead to 66-29. That lead grew to 40 points (76-36) heading into the final quarter. Mars Hill tallied a 16-14 advantage in the fourth quarter, but it was not enough as the Lions fell by a final of 90-52.

Mika Wester led Carson-Newman with a game-high 31 points. For the game C-N finished 37-for-80 from the floor (46.3%).

The Lions will return to action on Wednesday January 4, 2017, traveling to Harrogate, Tenn. to take on league-leading Lincoln Memorial. Action is set to be underway at 6 p.m.