Mars Hill downed by Newberry
The Mars Hill men’s basketball team battled hard in the final moments of the second half, but were unable to eclipse Newberry, falling by a score of 99-93 in Stanford Arena Monday night.
MARS HILL, N.C. – The Mars Hill men's basketball team battled hard in the final moments of the second half, but were unable to eclipse Newberry, falling by a score of 99-93 in Stanford Arena Monday night.
Trailing 69-64 with 10:38 remaining in the contest, Mars Hill scored the next four points to pull within one, but Anderson answered back with four straight of their own to regain the five point edge. Luke Van-Rijn, who scored the previous four points for the Lions, scored the next three to pull Mars Hill within two, 73-71, with 8:33 left in the contest.
Newberry rallied strong in the latter stages, scoring four straight 3-pointers, three from the hands of Jabrie Bullard to go up by 11 with under seven minutes to play.
The Lions battled back resiliently and pulled the game within six points with 2:20 left in the contest and within four points with nine seconds left, but were unable to complete the comeback bid, falling 99-93 for their 23rd loss.
Both teams traded leads in the opening few minutes with no team leading by more than two until with 16:22 of the first half, a 3-pointer from Rob Valentine gave Newberry a 12-7 lead. Nick Dietrich scored a three of his own to give the Wolves an eight point edge just under five minutes into the contest. The two 3-pointers were the catalyst for an 8-0 run.
With 11:43 left in the opening half, the Wolves embarked on an 8-3 stretch that saw Mars Hill trailing 30-15 with under 10 minutes to play in the frame. The teams answered each other's baskets throughout the next several minutes, but Newberry's 20-point lead with 5:30 remaining in the first half provided a cushion as Mars Hill ended the half on a 15-7 run to enter halftime trailing 52-40.
Bennett Wilson scored eight points to lead all Lions' players and added three assists in the first 20 minutes. Austin Gilyard chipped in with seven followed by Van-Rijn, David Elkins and Vernon Jackson who each had six. Max Miller led the Wolves with 10 points followed by Marshall Lange and Rob Valentine who each had nine.
Gilyard topped all players with 20 points on the night, adding three rebounds and three assists. Wilson and Van-Rijn added 16 points each with Wilson accumulating nine assists. Jackson and Justen Hartfield also had double-digits with 10 and 11 points, respectively.
Six Wolves ended the game in double-digits, led by Bullard's 17 points. He shot 6-of-9 from the field, including five 3-pointers. Valentine had four from beyond the arc and 16 points. Miller added 11 points and pulled down a game-high nine rebounds.
The Lions fall to 4-23 (1-17 SAC) while Newberry reaches .500, improving to 13-13 (7-11 SAC).
Mars Hill concludes the 2017-18 season with a 4 p.m. contest against Catawba in Stanford Arena.
