MORROW, GA - The Brent Owen era of Lenoir-Rhyne Men's Basketball begins today, as the Bears travel to Morrow, Georgia to participate in the Clayton State Conference Challenge. LR opens with Chowan tonight, before facing off against the host Clayton State Lakers tomorrow afternoon.

The opening game against Chowan will be a great test to see where the Bears are at, as the Hawks finished last season with a 20-9 record, narrowly missing out on an NCAA Tournament birth. They were picked to finish second in the Conference Carolinas and return each of their leading scorers from last season. Clayton State, who compete in the competitive Peach Belt Conference, finished last season with a 7-21 mark and were picked to finish ninth in the PBC by the conference coaches. 

THE FULL TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Friday, November 8^th
5:30 PM: Chowan vs. Lenoir-Rhyne
7 PM: Tusculum vs. Clayton State
 
Saturday, November 9^th
1:30 PM: Tusculum vs. Chowan
3:30 PM: Lenoir-Rhyne vs. Clayton State

This year's squad was picked eighth in the SAC Preseason Poll, with Tay Smith, Hantz Louis-Jeune, Ziare Wells, and Conrad Luczynski being named players to watch. Coach Owen has overhauled his roster this year, as he has 11 newcomers on the team. Despite the turnover, Owen retained his top talent, as four of the Bears top seven scorers last year are back on the team for this year's campaign. 

Head Coach Brent Owen, as well as his assistants Cesar Lujan-Flores and Tyrone Grady, have high hopes for this team, as eight of the 11 newcomers have previous collegiate experience. All three coaches joined LR after coaching at Eastern New Mexico last season, where they led the Grehounds to their most wins in 31 years and their first NCAA Tournament birth since 2004.

The Bears open South Atlantic Conference Play on Saturday, November 16th at preseason favorite Carson-Newman, while their first home contest will be played on Tuesday, November 26th against Wingate.