MCKENZIE, Tenn. — The bench of the No. 2 Freed-Hardeman University Lions bucketed 51 of the team's 87 points as FHU knocked off the Bethel University Wildcats, 87-62.
It was the hosting Wildcats that got on the board first with five unanswered points before
Phil Horton gave the Lions (20-1, 5-0 MSC) their first points. Bethel maintained their lead through a 7-0 Lion run until
Cam Hudson's dunk and
Jailen Anderson's layup gave the Lions the lead at 10:59.
Blake Dean connected for a pair of 3-pointers, including one in the middle of a nine-point swing for the Lions. Horton made the final two baskets for FHU to give the men in maroon a 43-28 lead at halftime.
Bethel (16-6, 2-3 MSC) managed a few runs in the second half, but for every score the Lions had an answer. FHU had three trips down the court end with 3-pointers from
DJ McIntyre,
Caleb Thomas, and
Rico Sain, with the last making the score 63-45 at the 11:17 mark. Dean's layup at 6:33 ignited a nine-point push by the Lions that propelled them to the 87-62 victory.
FHU forced 21 turnovers by the Wildcats, while only surrendering the ball seven times. The victory gave the Lions their fourth consecutive season with at least 20 wins.
The Lion bench led the way with
Blake Dean scoring a team-high 15 points, followed by
Lane Lauderbaugh's 13.
Rodney Henderson scored 12 while
Phil Horton was the lone starter in double figures with 10 points. Horton led the Lions with seven rebounds while Lauderbaugh was joined by
Rico Sain with a team-high three steals.
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Up Next
With Saturday's scheduled game against Cumberland postponed, the Lions prepare for the second half of the Mid-South Conference slate with trips to No. 18 Georgetown and No. 3 Cumberlands on January 29 and January 31, respectively.
