HENDERSON —The No. 5 Freed-Hardeman University Lions put on a show in their Halloween home opener against the Welch (Tenn.) College Flames by blowing past the guests 114-54.
Freed-Hardeman (2-0) tied the program's single-game steal record by swiping away 23 steals where they scored 50 points off of turnovers and 45 points off of the fast break.
Jamarcus Powell registered the first of FHU's points with a jumper, but a 3-pointer put Welch ahead until the Lions steamed ahead with a 17-0 run including eight points on the fast break.
DJ McIntyre's 3-pointer was followed by a steal and slam from
Phil Horton to force a Welch time out with the Lions leading 12-5 with 14:49 left in the half. Freed-Hardeman would take another big run where they scored six unanswered points with
Caleb Thomas' layup at 8:49 giving FHU a 21-point lead. Despite some late Flame 3-pointers, Horton's buzzer-beating 3-pointer gave the Lions a comfortable 58-31 lead at intermission.
Sam Powell got the second half rolling with back-to-back jumpers giving the Lions a 31-point lead over Welch (0-1) before slamming home a dunk to set the score at 64-33. The Lion defense was stifling in the second half, allowing just three successful shots from the floor in the final 10 minutes.
Rodney Henderson's dunk gave the Lions triple digits and
Aidan Farber's last-minute 3-pointer settled the score in the 114-54 win.
The Lions shot 54% from the floor with 90 attempts. FHU out-rebounded the Flames 54-26 including 17 offensive boards to turn into 22 second-chance points. The Lions made a statement in the paint, scoring 84 points in the key while holding Welch to 18.
Phil Horton secured the season's first double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds.
Sam Powell was not far behind with 17 points while
Rodney Henderson added 16.
Blake Dean had 13 points in the victory while
Lane Lauderbaugh had 12 and
Caleb Thomas recording 11.
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Up Next
The Lions have a short turnaround as they prepare to face the Cavaliers of Montreat (N.C.) College on November 1 at 3:00 p.m.
