WILLIAMSBURG, Ky. — Blake Dean tallied 23 points in No. 2 Freed-Hardeman University's matchup with the No. 6 University of the Cumberlands Patriots. The Lions connected for 11 3-pointers in the first half to push them to a 90-63 victory.
Rico Sain's layup was the first bucket for FHU (22-1, 7-0 MSC) before he was joined by
Phil Horton and
Blake Dean with 3-pointers to give the Lions a 16-9 lead at 14:05. Dean would put FHU on his shoulders for the next 10 minutes, scoring 13 of the Lions' 15 points including three 3-pointers. Horton added back-to-back triples before Sain slammed home the end of an 8-0 run that ended at 4:18 with the Lions leading 41-23. After
DJ McIntyre joined with a triple, Dean ended the half with a layup to give FHU a 46-32 halftime lead.
The strong start by FHU stunned the Patriots (18-4, 3-3 MSC), who were never able to string together multiple buckets.
Lane Lauderbaugh would stand tall in the paint, scoring three straight layups before McIntyre netted back-to-back treys. In the final minute of the game,
Birman Jenkins' layup set the final score at 90-63 in the FHU win.
FHU shot 58% for the third time this season, holding the Patriots to a 34% mark from the floor. The Lions significantly outdid Cumberlands from long range, connecting for 13 3-pointers while holding UC to just one.
Blake Dean's career-high 23 points led all scorers with
Phil Horton's 4-7 night from beyond the arc helping him score 14 points.
DJ McIntyre added 12 points while
Rico Sain ended with 12. Horton led FHU with seven rebounds while
Jamarcus Powell had four steals.
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Up Next
The Lions visit Lebanon where they will face the Cumberland Phoenix on February 2 at 7:30 p.m.
