HICKORY, NC - Head Coach Brent Owen and the Lenoir-Rhyne Men's Basketball team passed a big test on Wednesday, taking down nationally ranked and previously undefeated Coker 99-98. Big man Conrad Luczynski made a layup with just two seconds remaining in the contest to give the Bears the win. Leading the way for the Bears on the day was Ziare Wells, who scored 30 points on an extremely efficient 14-18 from the field. 

This marks Lenoir-Rhyne's first ranked victory since a 70-59 win over Lincoln Memorial on February 18, 2023. 

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: (RV) Lenoir-Rhyne 99, #16 Coker 98
Records: Lenoir-Rhyne 10-2 (7-1 SAC), Coker 9-1 (7-1 SAC)
Location: Hickory, NC | Shuford Arena

STORY OF THE GAME

• The teams were a combined 8-8 out the gate, with the Cobras leading 10-8 after two minutes of play. 
• After a Shem Sawy layup cut the lead to 22-20, Coker went on a 16-2 run to take a 38-22 lead with 9:20 left in the half.
• The Bears answered with an 18-4 run of their own, trailing 42-40 with 2:46 left in the half.
• Hantz Louis-Jeune scored five consecutive points late and the home side took a 49-47 lead heading into the locker room.
• Despite the scoreline, Lenoir-Rhyne led for all but 19 seconds of the second half.
• Tay Smith hit a three at the 16:52 mark of the half to give the Bears a 61-56 lead. 
• That lead would be stretched to nine 10 minutes later thanks to a dunk and two layups from Ziare Wells. 
• Coker chipped into the Bears lead late, tying the game with a Sebastian Cole three with just under a minute remaining. 
• A Conrad Luczynski layup was answered by a Jamie Mudowney three, putting Coker up 98-97 with 14 seconds left.
• Julian Dozier drove down the lane and found Luzynski for a layup with just two seconds remaining, sealing the win. 

STATS OF THE MATCH:

• Ziare Wells finished with 30 points, five rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block. 
• Hantz Louis-Jeune (19), Conrad Luzysnki (16), Tay Smith (12), and Julian Dozier (10) all finished in double figures. 
• Louis-Jeune led the way with nine boards, while Dozier dished out eight assists. 
• The Bears went 37-66 (56.1%) from the field, 1-12 (8.3%) from three and 24-31 (77.4%) from the charity stripe.
• Coker was 34-71 (47.9%) from the field, 14-39 (35.9%) from three and 16-22 (72.7%) from the free throw line.
• LR dominated the paint, outscoring the Cobras 68-36 in that category.
• Despite the breakneck pace, the teams combined for just 19 turnovers and nine steals.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• Ziare Wells' 14 made field goals are the most for a Bear since TJ Nesmith made 14 against Tusculum on February 11, 2023.
• The last time LR made just one three pointer in a game was a 1-15 performance against Queens (NC) on February 23, 2022.
• This marks the best 12-game start for the Bears since the 1990-91 campaign that saw them open up at 12-0. 
• This is the best 12-game start in the NCAA era for Lenoir-Rhyne.

UP NEXT: The Bears will be off for two weeks for Christmas before coming back to the Shu to take on #14 Lincoln Memorial on Saturday, January 4th. The Railsplitters sit at 7-1 (5-0 SAC) and take on Tusculum later tonight. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. from Hickory.