COLUMBUS, GA - How sweet it is. Behind a career-high 25 points from Conrad Luczynski and another 20 from Julian Dozier, the Lenoir-Rhyne Men's Basketball team took down USC Aiken 91-87 to advance to the NCAA DII Sweet 16 for just the second time in school history. 

Down by two at the half, Lenoir-Rhyne outscored the Pacers 47-41 in the second half to get the victory. Helping their case was a 24-28 showing at the free throw line, their third best mark all season.

The unsung hero of this game was Junior Hodnett, who hit three consecutive triples early in the second half to help keep the Pacers within reach.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: #10 Lenoir-Rhyne 91, #24 USC Aiken 87
Records: Lenoir-Rhyne (28-5, 20-4 SAC), USC Aiken (23-9, 13-5 PBC)
Location: Columbus, GA | Lumpkin Center

STORY OF THE GAME

• A quick 7-2 lead for the Bears vanished thanks to a 20-5 run for USC Aiken, putting them up 22-12 with 12:38 remaining in the half.
• Ziare Wells capped off a 13-2 run for LR with a jumper to bring them back within one at the 8:09 mark of the half.
• The Pacers looked to pull away before the half, going up 46-38 with just over a minute left.
• Julian Dozier gave the Bears a chance, scoring the final six points of the half to make it just a 46-44 USC Aiken advantage at the break.
• Junior Hodnett matched USC Aiken shot-for-shot early in the second half, draining three threes in a two-minute span to keep the Bears in the game.
• The Bears kept chipping away, and a Hantz Louis-Jeune fast break dunk at the 10:18 gave the Bears their first lead since the opening minutes of the game.
• After USC Aiken tied it at 80-80, Wells, Conrad Luczynski, and Tay Smith made three straight buckets to push the lead back to six with just 1:22 left in the game.
• Dozier and Louis-Jeune hit four clutch free throws late, and Wells knocked in one with just 10 seconds remaining to put the game out of reach.

STATS OF THE MATCH:

• Conrad Luczynski stepped up when it mattered most, scoring 25 points on 10-12 from the field, while also hauling in seven rebounds. The big man from Bartlett, Illinois, also went a key 5-7 at the charity stripe.
• Joining Luczynski in double-figures was Julian Dozier (20), Hantz Louis-Jeune (12), Junior Hodnett (12), and Tay Smith (11). 
• Four Bears had three assists, while Ziare Wells and Smith tallied two steals each.
• USC Aiken nearly won due to their offensive rebounding, as 15 of their 34 boards came after their own missed shots.
• The Bears were an efficient 31-55 (56.4%) from the field, 5-14 (35.7%) from three, and 24-28 (85.%) from the free throw line.
• USC Aiken went 29-62 (46.8%) from the field, 10-24 (41.7%) from three, and 19-23 (82.6%) from the line.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• After Julian Dozier's three in the opening minutes, Junior Hodnett was the only Bear to make a three the rest of the game.
• This was the third time these teams have faced off in the NCAA Tournament, with USC Aiken winning first round matchups in 2019 and 2009.
• LR hadn't beaten the Pacers since an 82-60 win on December 18, 2004.
• This marks just the second Sweet 16 appearance for the Bears, with the other taking place in 2016 as a No. 7 seed.

UP NEXT: Lenoir-Rhyne will now face the winner of the UNC Pembroke/Columbus State game in the Regional Finals. The teams will get a day of rest tomorrow before squaring off in the championship at 7:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday night.