January 24, 2009

MARS HILL, N.C. - Mars Hill used a strong rebounding effort to defeat Lincoln Memorial 89-75 Saturday afternoon inside Stanford Arena. The Lions improve to 10-8 overall, 3-4 in the SAC. The Railsplitters drop to 6-12 overall, 1-7 in the SAC.

After Stephanie Wagner (Elkhart, Ind.) opened the game with a three-pointer for Lincoln Memorial, Mars Hill went on a 10-0 run and held the Railsplitters scoreless for a stretch of 3:14 until the 16:00 mark in the first half.

The Lions grabbed their first double-digit lead of the game, 16-6, off a free throw by Danielle Francis (Bamberg, S.C.) with 13:57 left in the half. Mars Hill was on fire from the field, hitting 7-11 shots, good for a 63.6% clip. Lincoln Memorial hit only 3-8 field goals (37.5%).

The Railsplitters responded with a 10-0 run and tied the game at 16-all off a three-point bucket by Kara Harris (Alcoa, Tenn.) at the 9:53 point.

The Lions came back with a 11-4 run of their own and took a 27-20 lead at the 6:05 mark off a steal and layup by Shamia Terry (Greenville, S.C.). Sarah Harrison (Sneedville, Tenn.) cut the deficit to six points, 32-26, at the 4:06 point in the first half with a shot from behind the arc, but Brittini Young (Ramseur, N.C.) responded on the next possession for Mars Hill with a three of her own.

Mars Hill grabbed its largest lead of the half, 43-30, off a layup by Taylor Deal (Catawba, N.C.) and carried that score into halftime.

In the first half, the Lions shot 51.4% (18-35) from the field but were only 3-12 from behind the arc. The Railsplitters hit 47.6% (10-21) from the field and were 7-12 from three-point range. Mars Hill outscored Lincoln Memorial 20-2 in the paint and 14-2 off second chance points. The Lions forced six steals and outrebounded the Railsplitters 22-12 overall and 10-1 on the offensive glass.

Mars Hill opened the second half strong and its largest lead of the game, 51-34, off an old-fashioned three-point play by Deal with 17:39 left in the game.

Dayshalee Salaman (Carolina, Puerto Rico) scored 10 straight points for Lincoln Memorial to cut Mars Hill's lead to 56-44 with 12:50 left in the game. The Railsplitters cut the deficit to single digits, 58-49, off a three-pointer by Wagner at the 11:19 mark, but an old-fashioned three-point play by Jessica Blanford (Concord, N.C.) stretched the Lions advantage back to 63-51 with 9:47 left in the game.

Again Lincoln Memorial cut Mars Hill's lead to single digits, 63-56, off a three-point trey by Amberly O'Dell (Argos, Ind.), but Deal got an offensive rebound and putback to give the Lions another double-digit advantage, 67-56, at the 7:18 mark.

Whitney Vannoy (Harrogate, Tenn.) scored eight straight points for the Railsplitters, including two three-pointers, to trim the score to 71-67 at the 4:50 mark, but an Ariel Okunowo (Decatur, Ga.) three-pointer from the corner pushed Mars Hill's advantage to 12 points, 78-67, with 3:36 left in the game. Lincoln Memorial would get no closer than seven points, 82-75, for the rest of the game.

Terry led six Mars Hill players in double-figure scoring with 17 points. She also recorded a team-high 13 rebounds and four steals. Young had 16 points and nine assists. Blanford posted a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Deal had 14 points and nine rebounds. Okunowo netted 13 points. Bria Smith chipped in 10 points for the Lions.

Wagner poured in a game-high 18 points for Lincoln Memorial. Salaman recorded 17 points and six assists.

The Lions outscored the Railsplitters 40-22 in the paint and 20-4 off second chance points.

Mars Hill will host Tusculum January 28 inside Stanford Arena. Tip-time is set for 6 p.m.

Season Stats...

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