HICKORY, N.C. –
Drew Gardner notched his fifth career double-double with a game-high 18 points and a career-high 13 rebounds, while
Justin Nichelson and
Jaylin Stewart chipped in 17 and 14 points off the bench respective, as the Lees-McRae men's basketball team rallied from a double-digit second-half deficit en route to a thrilling 84-81 win over host Lenoir-Rhyne in the non-conference action this afternoon.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Lees-McRae – 84; Lenoir-Rhyne – 81
LOCATION: Shuford Gym – Hickory, North Carolina
RECORDS: Lees-McRae (2-1), Lenoir-Rhyne (2-2)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Gardner finished 7 of 11 from the field and 3 of 7 from behind the three-point line, while chipping in an assist and a block in the contest.
- Nichelson tied his career-high in points with a pair of 3-pointers to go along with eight rebounds, while Stewart tallied three assists.
- Malik McConnell finished with nine points and a block, with Timon Jones tallying seven points, four rebounds, and a career-high five assists.
- Follie Bogan also added a season-high seven points off of the bench.
- Lees-McRae sprinted out of the gates by scoring the first seven points of the contest but failed to maintain the momentum as Lenoir-Rhyne used a 19-7 run to hold a 45-38 halftime advantage.
- After the Bears extended the lead back to 57-47 with 13:35 remaining, the Bobcats slowly chipped away at the lead until McConnell knocked down two free throws to trim the lead to 79-78 with less than two minutes to play.
- Jones stole the ball with 22 seconds remaining, which led to a fastbreak layup for Stewart, to give Lees-McRae the 82-81 lead with 18 seconds remaining.
- A pair of clutch free throws by Nichelson extended the deficit back to 84-81, while a last-second heave by Lenoir-Rhyne hit the side of the rim to clinch the Bobcat victory.
- Lees-McRae held a 42-38 edge in bench production and a 42-32 advantage in rebounding en route to an 11-6 lead in second-chance points.
FOR THE FOES:
- Four Bears scored in double figures, led by Jalen Johnson with 17 points, three rebounds, five assists, and three steals.
- P.J. Joseph added 11 points and six rebounds off of the bench.
UP NEXT:
The Bobcats will open Conference Carolinas action as they host Chowan on the McNair & Debi Tornow Court on Tuesday, Nov. 23 at 7 p.m.
For more information on Lees-McRae Athletics, follow the Bobcats on Twitter (@LMCBobcats), on Facebook (Lees-McRae Athletics), and on Instagram (leesmcraeathletics).
