FRANKLIN SPRINGS, Ga. --- Freshman Trey Hall dropped a career-high 14 points, but the Lees-McRae men's basketball team was defeated at Emmanuel (Ga.), 89-76, in Conference Carolina play Saturday afternoon in Franklin Springs, Ga.
The Lions (19-5, 14-4 CC) shot 50% and held a +20 advantage on the boards. The Bobcats (16-12, 12-6) had five players in double figures.
Sophomore Keegan Crabtree (Hillsborough, N.C.) made his first start of the season while seniors Kendall Isler (Winder, Ga.) and Austin Anderson (Anderson, S.C.) scored 13 points apiece.
Anderson and EC's Steven Guinchard were responsible for their team's first two buckets.
Hall (Apopka, Fla.) started his scoring with a triple.
The Lions Emerson McClung responded with a dunk and three pointer of his own while the home squad led 22-10.
Junior Josh Gaither (Statesville, N.C.) cut the deficit to seven with a three.
EC allowed only three buckets in the final 9:57 of the first half.
Both teams committed double digit turnovers in the first 20 minutes.
Hall stopped a 9-2 EC run with a bucket from behind the arc, 53-42.
The game saw a scoring barrage when the squads combined for 17 points in a 1:13 span. Junior Chad Hicks (Winston-Salem, N.C.) was responsible for five of LMC's points.
Isler used a 5-0 burst to cut the deficit to six, 82-76, with 2:26 remaining.
EC finished the contest on a 7-0 run.
Hicks and Gaither finished with 12 and 10 points, respectively.
Anderson led the team with six rebounds.
LMC welcomes King (Tenn.) Tuesday, Feb. 24 at 7:30 p.m. in Williams Gymansium.
- LMC -
