Men’s Basketball Defeats Wingate, 87-82
Emile scores 25, Hughes adds 20
MARS HILL, N.C. - Mars Hill College hit 12 three-point field goals and survived a Wingate University rally to collect a 87-82 South Atlantic Conference men's basketball victory Saturday evening in Stanford Arena. Sammy Emile hit five-of-six triples en route to a game-high 25 points.
Emile posted his 25 markers in a reserve role, leading four Lions in double figures. Donterious Hughes had 20 points and a team-best eight rebounds. Tarron Stewart had 14 points and four assists off the bench, while Dion Malachi contributed 13 points, six rebounds and four blocked shots. The Lions hit 58.2% (27-59) of their field goals including converting on 75% (12-16) of their shots from behind the arc. MHC edged the Bulldogs on the boards, 34-31.
Wingate had five players hit double digits. Jaime Vaughn led the way with 20 points. He filled out his statistics ledger with three assists, three steals and two rebounds. Odell Turner had 17 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Robert Carpenter had 14 points, Quan Alexander added 11 points and five rebounds and Mike Tankersley rounded out the double-figure scorers with 10 points.
After trailing for the first 12 minutes of the contest, Stewart hit a shot in the lane to give MHC a 17-15 advantage they would not relinquish. The Lions built an 11-point lead (47-36) heading into the locker room at halftime.
MHC took their largest lead of 16 points (55-39) with 16:47 left in the game after Emile hit a 3-pointer. Still leading by a 16-point margin (65-49) at the 13:35 mark thanks to a 3-pointer by Hughes, Wingate went on a 29-14 run over the next 11 minutes to trim the deficit to just a single point (79-78) with 2:20 left in regulation after Vaughn hit a jumper. A layup by Hughes on the Lions' next possession helped calm the Bulldogs and then a 3-pointer and a pair of free throws by Emile down the stretch sealed the win.
Mars Hill is 5-9 overall and 2-4 in the SAC. Wingate is 8-6 overall and 3-3 in the SAC. Mars Hill hosts Carson-Newman College Wednesday night at 8 p.m. The Bulldogs return to action Wednesday, traveling to Newberry College for a 8 p.m. contest.