HICKORY, N.C. -- Cooper Fowler went for a season-high 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting and added a career-high five blocked shots as Lenoir-Rhyne defeated Mars Hill 71-65 on Monday night in Shuford Gymnasium. R.J. Gunn had 14 points and Mason Hawks added 11 for the Bears. 

GAME INFORMATION:
Final: Lenoir-Rhyne 71, Mars Hill 65
Records: Lenoir-Rhyne (8-3, 8-3 SAC) | Mars Hill (1-12, 1-11 SAC)
Location: Shuford Gymnasium

STATS AND INFO:
- Lenoir-Rhyne held Mars Hill to 33.3 percent shooting and connected on 46.9 of their own shots to take a 36-26 advantage into the half
- Lenoir-Rhyne moves to 2-0 on Mondays this season
- The Bears are just two wins shy of 1,400 as a program. LR owns a 1,398-1,128 all-time mark
- Fowler's five blocked shots tonight were the most in a game since Bertrand Awana blocked five against USC Aiken in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament on March 16, 2019

FIRST HALF:
- LR took a 10 point advantage into the break and held Mars Hill to 33 percent shooting
- Seven different players scored in the half for LR
- Javonte Cooke scored eight points and grabbed eight boards in the opening 20 minutes for the Lions
- After Mars Hill took a 32-20 lead, the Bears closed the half on a 16-4 run

SECOND HALF:
- Austin Gilyard poured in 14 second half points and David Elkins have five points, four rebounds and three assists in the final 20 minutes
- Fowler scored 13 of his 18 points in the second half and went 4-for-6 from the field
- A basket by Cooke with 2:21 to play cut the LR lead to 66-63 but Gunn answered with a three to give LR a six-point advantage
- Mars Hill shot 51.6 percent in the second half

ABOUT THE BEARS:
- Davion Bradford went a perfect 3-for-3 on the night and has only missed three shots over his last four games
- After going 25-of-27 from the free throw line against Anderson, the Bears hit on 9-of-10 free throws
- LR hit 10 from long range, their fifth game with double-digit makes from three

NOTABLE LIONS:
- Gilyard finished wth 19 points and Cooke had 14 points and 12 boards
- Four Lions reached double figures in scoring
-Despite hitting on 51 percent in the second half, MHU went just 5-of-21 from long range in the game

UP NEXT:
Lenoir-Rhyne will return home on Wednesday when they host UVA Wise at 8 p.m.