PULASKI, Tenn. — Facing the former Mid-South Conference foe at the University of Tennessee Southern, the No. 10 Freed-Hardeman University Lions leaned on their defense to claim an 83-67 win.
The first points of the season for FHU (1-0) came off of the hand of
Hunter Scurlock, whose layup at 19:47 were the first of 15 points to be scored by the fifth-year senior. From there, the Firehawks began to made solid connections, going 7-7 from the floor to jump ahead to a nine-point lead at 12:55.
JJ Wheat's first of a team-high 20 points sparked a massive run for the Lions who bucketed 14 unanswered points to take a 24-18 lead. In the meantime, FHU's defense forced bad shots with UTS going 0-7. The Lions would drive into the paint the rest of the half, scoring 20 of their first half's 36 points in the key. FHU would maintain a 36-22 edge at intermission.
The hosting Firehawks (1-1) would chip away at the FHU lead, sinking free throws before a 12-0 run in the middle of the frame saw what grew to a 16-point FHU lead evaporate to a 55-55 tie with 5:17 left in the game. Sitting in the double bonus, it would be up to the FHU free throw shooting to cement the win. The Lions would go 20-24 in the second half, outlasting the Firehawks with an 83-67 victory.
The Lions forced 21 turnovers in the game, making UTS pay for them to score 21 points off of turnovers. Conversely, UTS forced 16 turnovers, converting to just eight points.
Hunter Scurlock was four assists short of a season-opening triple-double, bucketing 15 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.
JJ Wheat was 7-12 from the floor and 6-10 from the charity stripe to score a game-high 20 points.
Peyton Law and
Devin Tomlinson both put up 12 points in the victory.
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Up Next
The Lions will grace the court at the Brewer Sports Center Thursday, November 2, with a meeting against Reinhardt (Ga.) University, tipping off at 6:00 p.m.
