Men’s Basketball Loses at Anderson
ANDERSON, S.C. - The Lions' men's basketball team lost at Anderson University 96-78 at the Abney Center Saturday afternoon. Anderson improved to 5-2 overall and 2-0 in the SAC. Mars Hill slipped to 2-5 overall and 1-1 in league play.
Denzail Jones and Kyle Sledge combined for 42 points to lead Anderson.
With Mars Hill holding an early 3-2 advantage, the Trojan defense held the Lions to just two baskets over the next six minutes, enabling AU to go on a 17-4 run. Taylor Shugart sparked the outburst with a put back and following a 3-pointer from teammate Denzail Jones. Jones' basket with 12:10 remaining in the opening half capped the run, giving Anderson a 19-7 advantage.
AU built a 13-point lead midway through the half, but the Lions
trimmed the Trojans' lead to just seven on two occasions before
Anderson took a 41-33 lead to the locker room.
Mars Hill's Terrell Harris notched the first basket of the second
half, but Jones scored the next five for AU and Nick Trull followed
with back-to-back treys to give the Trojans a 52-37 cushion with
18:02 on the clock.
The Lions' Sammy Emile pulled MHC within eight at the 15:55 mark, but that was as close as Mars Hill would get, as Jones countered with four straight points.
Jones led all scorers with 22 points and swiped five steals, while Sledge came off the bench to post a career-high 20 points on the afternoon, with 16 coming in the second half. Trull added 13 points, taking sole possession of fifth place all-time in AU's record books with his layup at the 18:41 mark of the first half. Tyrell McDowellchipped in 10 points and Shugart recorded a game-best 11 rebounds. Emile led the Lions with 21 points, with Harris adding 17.
Mars Hill will play at St. Andrews on December 15. Game time in Laurinburg is set for 6 p.m.