Photo Courtesy of Matt Jones
BELMONT, N.C. – The Lees-McRae College men's basketball team wrapped up its regular season Saturday night with a 97-76 loss at Belmont Abbey College. The loss closes Lees-McRae's regular season record at 11-17 overall and 7-11 in conference play.
The difference in Saturday's contest proved to be Belmont Abbey's shooting from three-point range. The Crusaders connected on 13 shots from beyond the arc in the victory over the Bobcats. Ben Ferguson was a major part of this as he finished with eight three-pointers by himself. Lees-McRae, meanwhile, shot a solid 50.8 percent from the field for the game, but just 25 percent (5-for-20) from long range. That difference in three-point shooting accounted for all of Belmont Abbey's winning margin.
Lees-McRae was led Saturday by the tandem of Quay Kimble and Andrew Gardner. Both players finished for the team-lead with 14 points on the night. Gardner also paced the team on the glass in grabbing eight rebounds. Wes Morgan also finished the game in double-figures with 10 points.
Next up for the Bobcats is an opportunity to defend their Conference Carolinas Tournament title they earned last spring. Lees-McRae currently sits in the No. 8 seed for the upcoming tournament and would match up with top-seeded Emmanuel College in the first round on March 5. That matchup will become official once the rest of the league's regular season schedule is completed next Tuesday. Stay tuned to lmcbobcats.com for updates on where the Bobcats will be heading to in the postseason.
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