HICKORY, N.C. – Djibril Diallo scored 23 points and Jon Jean dished out a season-high 10 assists as the Lenoir-Rhyne Men's Basketball Team scored 53 second half points to defeat Mars Hill 96-79 on Saturday afternoon. The Bears shot 64 percent in the second half and topped the 90-point mark for the second consecutive game.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Lenoir-Rhyne 96 | Mars Hill 79
Records: Lenoir-Rhyne (18-8, 11-7 SAC) | Mars Hill (9-16, 3-14 SAC)
Location: Stanford Arena | Mars Hill, N.C.

STATS OF THE GAME:
•  Jean finished two points shy of a double-double, tallying eight points to go with his 10 dimes. Most impressively, Jean committed just one turnover on the afternoon and added three boards and a steal.  
•  Diallo went 7-of-13 and buried five 3-pointers in the rout. The senior added four assists and three rebounds.
•  Darius Simmons (12 points) and Cory Thomas (10 points) also finished in double digits in scoring against the Lions. Bertrand Awana added eight points and seven boards for the visitors.
•  Mars Hill was paced by 31 points from Ja'Shawn Brooks. Brooks finished the game 11-for-20 from the field and 4-of-8 from long range.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:
•    13 different players scored for LR.
•    The Bears scored 59 points in a half against Coker on Wednesday and nearly topped that total with the 53-point second half this afternoon.
•    The win keeps LR within striking range of fourth place in the conference. The top four seeds earn a home game in the quarterfinal round of the South Atlantic Conference Tournament.
 
UP NEXT:
The Bears hit the road on Wednesday evening for their final away game of the regular season. The Bears travel to Catawba for an 8 p.m. tipoff.