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Lenoir-Rhyne University Athletics

Men's Basketball team
78
Young Harris YH 23-9,16-4 Conference Carolinas
84
Winner Lenoir-Rhyne LRU 26-8,17-5 SAC
Young Harris YH
23-9,16-4 Conference Carolinas
78
Final
84
Lenoir-Rhyne LRU
26-8,17-5 SAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Young Harris YH 42 36 78
Lenoir-Rhyne LRU 38 46 84

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Joel Krenz, Assistant AD for Media and Communications

Lenoir-Rhyne reaches second straight Regional Championship with gritty win over Young Harris

ANDERSON, S.C. - How sweet it is. Down for most of the game, the Lenoir-Rhyne men's basketball team found a way against Young Harris, grinding out an 84-78 win over the Mountain Lions. 

The hero of the game was Tyler Burraston, who went 7-9 from three and finished with a 21 points. Blessin Kimble led the team with 22 points and nearly came away with a double-double, finishing with nine boards. Stepping up when it mattered most was Shem Sawy, who finished with six points and two boards in 14 minutes of play. 

Lenoir-Rhyne will look to win their second consecutive Southeast Regional Championship on Tuesday when they take on #2 seed Lander. The Bearcats defeated #6 seed Columbus State 74-66 in the first game of the day.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: (RV) Lenoir-Rhyne 84, Young Harris 78
Records: Lenoir-Rhyne (26-8), North Georgia (23-9)
Location: Anderson, S.C. | Abney Athletic Center

STORY OF THE GAME:
  • Young Harris' Carl Cleveland scored 10 early points to put the Mountain Lions up 14-6 early.
  • The Bears answered with an 18-4 run to take a 24-18 lead with 9:11 remaining in the half.
  • Back-to-back threes from Tyler Burraston put the Bears up 30-24.
  • The Mountain Lions closed the half on an 18-8 run and led 42-38 heading into the locker room.
  • Two free throws from Cleveland put Young Harris up 57-49 with 14 minutes left in the game.
  • A Julian Dozier floater sparked a 16-6 run by the Bears to re-take the lead with eight minutes remaining.
  • Lenoir-Rhyne held Young Harris scoreless for a four-minute stretch during that run.
  • Two layups from Blessin Kimble and a tip-in from Shem Sawy pushed Lenoir-Rhyne's lead to 75-66 with 2:15 left in the game.
  • Late free throws from Dozier and Kimble, as well as fast break dunk from Sam Martin, sealed the win.
STATS OF THE GAME:
  • Blessin Kimble (22), Tyler Burraston (21), and Akili Evans (13) finished in double-figures.
  • YHC's Carl Cleveland led all scorers with 38 points.
  • Kimble led the team with nine boards and Amarion Savage was tops with five assists.
  • Lenoir-Rhyne set a new season low with six turnovers. 
  • The Bears were 26-63 (41.3%) from the field, 12-32 (37.5%) from three, and 20-32 (62.5%) from the free throw line.
  • Young Harris went 24-55 (43.6%) from the field, 5-19 (26.3%) from three, and 25-34 (73.5%) from the free throw line.
  • Lenoir-Rhyne won the bench scoring battle 35-7. 
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
  • The Bears hold the all-time series lead at 4-0.
  • This is the second consecutive Southeast Regional Championship game appearance for the Bears.
  • The Bears are the only four seed to advance to the sweet 16.
  • Lenoir-Rhyne joins Indiana (PA), Alabama Huntsville, Minnesota Duluth, and Daemen as schools who can win both a men's and women's Regional Championship. 
UP NEXT: The Bears will have a day off before they take on Lander in the Southeast Regional Championship on Tuesday night. Lander is riding a 12-game win streak and haven't lost since early February. Tickets for Tuesday's game will be sold at the door. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. in the Abney Athletic Center on the campus of Anderson University.
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