Box Score HENDERSON, Tenn. - It took a few minutes for the Freed-Hardeman Lions to get warmed up. When they finally did, they never really cooled back down.
The Lions used a 22-0 first-half run to turn a seven-point deficit into a 15-point advantage, and never looked back in an 89-56 win in their season opener against Concordia College Selma (Ala.) on Friday night at the FHU Sports Center.
FHU started off a bit slow as the Hornets used a 12-0 run to build an 18-11 lead with 11:18 to play in the half. With the Lion starters struggling to stay in sync, head coach Jason Shelton looked to his bench for a spark.
Perry knocked down a pair of three-pointers and the 5-foot-3 Sampson slashed through the Hornet defense to start off what would be 22 unanswered points for the Lions that turned into a 33-18 lead with 5:32 left in the half. From there, FHU would slowly add to that advantage en route to the 33-point victory.
Kristoffer Smith and
Tyler Jennings each scored 16 points for the Lions while Sampson and Perry each had nine. FHU dominated the boards, grabbing 57 rebounds to Concordia's 33.
Freed-Hardeman returns to action on Saturday at 6:00 as it plays host to Berry (Ga.) College, which upset No. 14 Lambuth (Tenn.) University earlier in the day, 75-70.
