Box score
BREVARD, N.C. - The Tornados withstood a strong second-half
charge by the Lions to obtain a 91-87 victory in Boshamer Gymnasium
Saturday evening. MHC fell to 4-8 overall and 1-3 in the SAC.
Brevard improved to 5-3 on the season and 3-1 in the league.
Donterious
Hughes led four Mars Hill players in double figures with 22 points,
14 of which came in the second half comeback, while Sammy Emile
added 12 in the second half on his way to an 18 point, five rebound
performance. Dion Malachi added 15 points and a pair of blocked
shots, while Randolph Howell connected for 10 points as the Lions
shot 45.6 percent (36-79) from the floor in the game.
Drew Schauss scored 11 of his 17 points in the second half and
Josh Roper had his first career double-double with 23 points and 10
assists for the Tornados.Brevard connected on 62.9 percent (22-35)
of their field goal attempts in the first half on their way to
shooting 53.4 percent (31-58) from the floor in the contest. Darius
Moose added 14 points, while Josh Jordan narrowly missed out on the
double-double with nine points and 15 rebounds.
Malachi opened
up the game with a dunk on the opening possession as the Lions
jumped on the scoreboard first, but Schauss responded with a
three-pointer on the Tornados opening possession, setting the tone
for the first 10 minutes of the game as the teams traded the lead
11 times and saw the score tied five other times in the early
going.
A three-pointer
by Hughes at the 9:15 mark tied the score up at 28 apiece, but
Vincent Dombrowski answered with a three-pointer at the other end
to put Brevard back up 31-28. A layup by Howell put the score at
31-30 with 8:29 remaining, but this was the closest the Lions would
come for the remainder of the first half as a three-pointer by
Schauss on the next BC possession sparked a 21-7 run, capped by
Brevard scoring on its last five possessions of the run as Brevard
built their largest lead of the half at 18 points on a Jermichael
Tanner layup with 36 seconds left in the first half, putting the
score at 55-37. A layup by Julian Mack cut the lead back to 16 and
Malachi recorded a blocked shot on a BC desperation attempt as the
teams went into the locker rooms with the Tornados ahead
55-39.
Mars Hill cut
the lead back to single digits on the strength of their defense in
the second half, employing a full-court press. A pair of free
throws by Hughes at the 16:26 mark put the score at 57-49 as the
Lions opened the half with a 19-4 run, cutting the lead all the way
to within one at 59-58 after a layup by Mack. Another Dombrowski
three-pointer gave Brevard a little cushion, but Mars Hill
continued to press, eventually taking their first lead of the
second half at the 9:57 mark on a Howell layup, 66-64.
Hendrix and
Hughes exchanged jumpers, then Roper stripped Mack at mid-court
and converted a layup while also drawing a foul to tie the game for
the ninth time at the 8:53 mark at 68 apiece. He sank the free
throw to give BC a one-point advantage.
Mars Hill had
one final challenge, bringing the game back to within three points
at 90-87 with 14 seconds on a three-pointer by Emile, but Brevard
went nine of 13 from the free throw line in sealing the 91-87
victory.
Brevard edged
MHC on the boards, 39-37. Mars Hill recorded five blocked shots in
the game with Malachi and Emile recording two apiece and the Lions,
as a team, recorded 10 steals, led by Tarron Stewart's game-high
five.
Mars Hill will play at SAC rival Lincoln Memorial University on
January 12. Game time in Harrogate, Tenn., is set for 8 p.m. Mars
Hill will provide a live audio webcast of the contest.