Hickory, N.C. – The Lenoir-Rhyne Men's Basketball Team (6-8, 4-4) won its second straight game with a 79-72 overtime victory over Tusculum (4-10, 2-5) on Saturday afternoon in a South Atlantic Conference game.  The Bears were able to rally from a nine-point deficit late in the second half to take the victory.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Lenoir-Rhyne 79, Tusculum 72 (OT)
Records: Lenoir-Rhyne (6-8, 4-4 SAC), Tusculum (4-10, 2-5 SAC)
Location: Shuford Memorial Gymnasium | Hickory, N.C.
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STATS OF THE GAME:
•    The Bears were led by junior guard Djibril Diallo (Conakry, GUINEA), who neared a triple-double with 26 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds.
•    Thanks to Lenoir-Rhyne senior guard Billy Bales (Elizabethton, Tenn.), the home team was able to rally from a 63-54 deficit late in the second half to force overtime and eventually prevail.  
•    Bales, who totaled 10 points, hit two three-pointers over the final 33 seconds of the second half.  Bales also had the game-winning field goal in the overtime which broke a 67-all tie.
•    Tusculum was led by Peyton Woods (Monticello, Ky.) with a team-high 22 points off the bench including seven treys and the Pioneers, as a team, blocked 10 shots in the contest.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:
•    Lenoir-Rhyne freshman guard Mason Hawks (Mount Airy, N.C.) finished with a career-high 10 points while junior guard Cory Thomas (Louisville, Ky.) added 19 points to increase his season scoring average to 15.6 points per contest. 
•    LR won its second straight game and improved to 5-2 at home this year. 

UP NEXT:
In the next round of South Atlantic Conference games on Wednesday at 6:00 p.m., Lenoir-Rhyne travels to Wingate, N.C., to face Wingate while Tusculum hosts Carson-Newman.