HENDERSON — With his last goal in the first half, senior Hunter Scurlock became No. 11 Freed-Hardeman University's newest member of the 1,000 point club. He would connect for 14 to help lead the charge in an 89-79 victory over the (RV) Union (Ky.) College Bulldogs.

It was an inside vs. outside game in the first half with the Lions (10-2) attempting nine shots from outside the arc to UC's 13. Meanwhile, FHU's scored 36 points in the paint in the opening 20 minutes to Union's eight. The Lions were off and running with a layup from Hunter Scurlock before Ryley McClaran added a layup on a fast break, the first two of 14 fast break points for the Lions in the opening frame. Peyton Law and JJ Wheat would follow with layups before Phil Horton tallied FHU's first 3-pointer at 15:13 to put FHU on top 14-10. From there, FHU picked their shots well, making six consecutive shots, capped by a McClaran layup at 9:23 to give the Lions an 28-17 edge. McClaran's triple at 2:06 would give FHU their largest lead - 17 - to help the Lions move to intermission with a 53-39 lead.

The UC Bulldogs (9-5) came out of the break hot, scoring seven unanswered points before Chase Fiddler - in his debut in maroon and white - connected for a 3-pointer at 15:53 to put the Lions back on top by double digits. Union began to drive the lane in the second frame, scoring 12 points in the paint. The Lions; however, continued to dominate the key with 26 second-half points in the paint. A 3-pointer and a set of free throws drew the Bulldogs within two possessions at 7:41, but the Geraldo Lane would put FHU on his back to score 12 of FHU's next 14 points to extend the lead to the final buzzer on the 89-79 victory.

Union entered the contest by averaging 40.8 rebounds per game, but the Lions were able to cut that by 13, out-rebounding the opposition 32-27. Union had a big day from long range, going 14-19 from deep while FHU was 3-20; however, the Lions made up for it by scoring 62 points in the paint to UC's 20.

The Lions were led by Geraldo Lane's 21 point effort, followed by 14 from Hunter Scurlock, 12 from JJ Wheat, and 11 from Ryley McClaran. Scurlock also grabbed a team-high eight rebounds, while Quan Lax dished out seven assists. Chase Fiddler made his name known with three blocks and being one of four Lions with two steals, joining Lax, Peyton Law, and Devin Tomlinson.
 

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Up Next

The Lions will take a deserved break, next hitting the floor for the New Year's Classic hosted by the University of Saint Francis (Ill.) FHU will face the East-West (Ill.) University Phantoms on Saturday, December 30 before taking on the hosting USF Fighting Saints on New Year's Eve.

FHU will then break for a week and a half to prepare for Mid-South Conference play, starting on Thursday, January 11 against Cumberland (Tenn.) University at 7:30 p.m.