BANNER ELK, N.C. –
Jaylin Stewart poured in a season-high 21 points on 8-12 shooting from the field as Lees-McRae men's basketball fell to Lenoir-Rhyne, 78-67, in their home opener of the 2022-23 season.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Lees-McRae – 67; Lenoir-Rhyne – 78
LOCATION: McNair & Debi Tornow Court – Banner Elk, North Carolina
RECORDS: Lees-McRae (1-2/0-0), Lenoir-Rhyne (2-0/0-0)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- LR got off to a quick 5-0 start after a layup by Jalen Johnson at the 18:56 mark in the first half. Stewart stopped run with a layup the next possession and added two more points after a Bear turnover. Timon Jones collected his first three of the game with 16:57 remaining in the first half as the two sides were tied at seven-all. Stewart gave the Bobcats their first lead of the contest after a three with 15:47 remaining in the first half and Lees-McRae collected the 14-11 advantage after a fastbreak dunk by Nico Ashley.
- The two squads traded baskets throughout the remainder of the first half as Stewart closed the first 20 minutes with a three-pointer at the buzzer to give Lees-McRae the 30-28 edge.
- Lenoir-Rhyne went on an early 6-0 run after back-to-back baskets from deep by L.J. McCoy and Johnson as the Bears led 34-30. Gardner got the Bobcats within two after made layup with 17:20 left in the second half.
- Lees-McRae regained the lead after a fastbreak layup and earned a trip to the free-throw for the three-point play. The Bears staked out to a seven-point lead with 13:47 left in the second half and had their largest lead of the contest at 11 points after a dunk by T.J. Nesmith at the 10:55 mark.
- Stewart cut the deficit to three after a made basket with 2:34 left in the second, but LR pushed their lead back to five after a jumper by Malik Legania. Lenoir-Rhyne collected the 78-67 victory on Wednesday night after shooting 60.0% (18-30) in the second half.
- The Bobcats were paced by Stewart with 21 points as he made both threes on the night as Jones followed with 12 in the contest. Gardner had eight points on 4-9 shooting and grabbed five rebounds. Ashley joined Gardner with eight in the contest on 3-5 from the floor.
FOR THE BEARS:
- McCoy recorded a team-high 16 points for the Bears' balanced attack as Johnson chipped in 13 points in 30 minutes of play. Tim Steele and Nesmith added 12 and 10 points respectively to join their teammates in double figures.
- Lenoir-Rhyne went 27-62 (43.5%) from the field and drained 11 three-pointers to spoil the home-opener for Lees-McRae.
UP NEXT:
Lees-McRae hosts non-conference foe Mars Hill on Friday, Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. inside the McNair & Debi Tornow Court.
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