MARS HILL, NC - Playing in their first road game in over a month, the Bears were up to the task, taking down the Mars Hill Lions 92-81. The Bears were led by a career high from sophomore
Sam Martin, who finished with 21 points on 8-9 shooting from the field.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: #16 Lenoir-Rhyne 92, Mars Hill 81
Records: Lenoir-Rhyne 12-2 (9-1 SAC), Mars Hill 4-9 (2-9 SAC)
Location: Mars Hill, NC | Stanford Arena
STORY OF THE GAME
- A Hantz Louis-Jeune layup capped off an 8-0 run by the Bears to start the game.
- After holding a slim lead for much of the first half, a Mars Hill dunk cut the LR lead to two with 3:59 left in the period.
- After a Ziare Wells three and Sam Martin dunk pushed the lead back to seven, Julian Dozier grabbed a tipped ball and put it in just before the halftime buzzer.
- Wells put LR up double-figures early in the second half with a powerful dunk off a steal from Martin.
- An and-1 dunk from Shem Sawy put Lenoir-Rhyne up 59-40 with 15:13 left in the game.
- The Lions failed to mount a comeback as the Bears won their 10th straight.
STATS OF THE MATCH:
- The front court duo of Sam Martin and Conrad Luczynski combined for 37 points, 11 rebounds, and three blocks.
- Julian Dozier nearly notched a double-double, coming through with 11 points and eight assits, all while chipping in three steals.
- The Bears were 33-61 (54.1%) from the field and 5-15 (33.3%) from behind the arc.
- Mars Hill went 26-62 (41.9%) from the field and 6-14 (42.9%) from three.
- LR dominated the paint, outscoring the Lions 50-34 in that category.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
- Lenoir-Rhyne's 10-game winning streak is their best since they won 14 consecutive games in 2007-08.
- The longest winning streak in school history is 24 consecutive wins, set during the 1956-57 season.
- The Bears are now 55-20 all-time against the Lions and have won 13 of their last 14 matchups.
- Ziare Wells has now scored in double-figures in all but two games this season.
UP NEXT: The Bears will look to garner a season sweep on Saturday when they hit the road to take on the UVA Wise Cavaliers. Wise took down Limestone 74-60 earlier tonight and currently hold a record of 9-5 (6-4 SAC). Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m.