HICKORY, NC - The Lenoir-Rhyne men's basketball team continued to roll on Saturday, taking down Bluefield by a final score of 78-51. Up just 34-31 at the half, the Bears outscored the Rams 44-20 in the second half to secure the win. Ziare Well's 16 points led the Bears, while Shem Sawy nearly notched a double-double with nine points and nine boards.

The Bear's 9-2 start is their best start since the 2015-16 team also went 9-2. That team advanced to the NCAA third round for the first time in school history.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Lenoir-Rhyne 78, Bluefield 51
Records: Lenoir-Rhyne 9-2 (6-1 SAC), Bluefield 3-6 (3-3 AAC)
Location: Hickory, NC | Shuford Arena

STORY OF THE GAME

• Lenoir-Rhyne jumped out to an early 8-0 lead, helped out by back-to-back threes from Junior Hodnett and Tay Smith.
• Bluefield chipped away, tying the game at 20-20 with 6:22 left in the half.
• LR quickly went back up five, but the Rams eventually took a late 31-30 lead with less than a minute to go before the half.
• A Smith jumper and two Shem Sawy free throws gave the home side a 34-31 lead at the break.
• The Bears put this one away early in the second half, starting the frame on an 11-1 run. 
• Smith and Sam Martin each had fast break dunks as the Bears went up 23 with 8:12 remaining in the game.
• Junior Hodnett hit three late threes as the Bears cruised to the 27-point victory. 

STATS OF THE MATCH:

• Ziare Wells (16), Tay Smith (14), Sam Martin (14), and Junior Hodnett (12) all finished in double figures.
• Shem Sawy led the team with nine boards, while Hantz Louis-Jeune dished out five assists.
• As a team the Bears shot 28-67 (41.8%) from the field and 8-24 (33.3%) from three. 
• Bluefield was 18-50 (36%) from the field and 3-9 (33.3%) from three.
• Eight Bears registered a steal in this contest, led by Tay Smith's five.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• Lenoir-Rhyne's 18 steals are their most in over 10 years, and the 23rd most in DII this year.
• This is LR's first seven-game winning streak since 2018-19.
• Ziare Wells leads the team with 17.8 ppg. 
• Sam Martin ranks second in the SAC with 20 total blocks.

UP NEXT: Fans will be in for a good one on Wednesday as the Bears host #17 Coker in a matchup between two of the nation's highest scoring teams. The Cobras, who currently sit at 9-0, are first in NCAA DII at 114.1 points per game, while the Bears rank 16th at 90.9 points per game. Coker took down Tusculum 106-83 earlier tonight. Tipoff for next Wednesday's contest is scheduled for 12 p.m. from Shuford Arena.