Bears hold off late Lions push
The Mars Hill men’s basketball team (4-15, 4-12 SAC) fell against Lenoir-Rhyne (5-14, 4-12 SAC) by as score of 96-84 Wednesday night inside Chambers Gymnasium Wednesday night.
MARS HILL, N.C. – The Mars Hill men's basketball team (4-15, 4-12 SAC) fell against Lenoir-Rhyne (5-14, 4-12 SAC) by as score of 96-84 Wednesday night inside Chambers Gymnasium Wednesday night.
Mars Hill entered the second half trailing 43-31 with 30 of Lenoir-Rhyne's first half points coming from down low. The Bears pulled down eight offensive rebounds in the first 20 minutes and outrebounded the Lions 22-17. The Lions hit 50 percent of their three-point attempts with Isaiah Jones going 4-of-5 from beyond the arc.
Jones led all players in the first half with 14 while KJ Marshall added five off the bench. The Bears were led by T.J. Nesmith's 11 points while Jalen Johnson scored nine. Nesmith also pulled down four rebounds, most of any player in the half.
The second half saw both teams net 53 points. Kadyn Dawkins scored all 26 points in the final 20 minutes of play while Jones added an additional eight in the second. Jones pulled down a total of 10 rebounds to rack up the double-double and lead all players.
The Lions continued to shoot well from beyond the arc, hitting another nine in the second half and ending the day by shooting 52 percent from three. Lenoir-Rhyne dominated down low, scoring 54 points in the paint.
Notable Performers
L-R
- Points – Jalen Johnson (22), T.J. Nesmith (20)
- Rebounds – T.J. Nesmith & Cooper Fowler (5), Jalen Johnson & Malik LeGania (4)
- Assists – Kevin Kangu & Salle Wilson (3)
- Blocks – T.J. Nesmith (2)
MHU
- Points – Kadyn Dawkins (26), Isaiah Jones (22)
- Rebounds – Isaiah Jones (10), Isayah Johnson (6)
- Assists – Kadyn Dawkins (4), Isaiah Jones & KJ Marshall (2)
- Blocks – Michael Houge & Isaiah Jones (2)
The Lions return to the court on Saturday, January 29 when they face Catawba inside Chambers Gymnasium. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m.
