Head Coach Don Rekoske is confident his team will get back to the winning ways in the last four games of the season / Triangle photo by Jessica Slade

Sebastian Fischer
Sports Editor

“Fall down seven times, get up eight,” reads a Japanese proverb. Due to a disappointing week with two road losses against Montreat (S.C.) and Milligan (Tenn.) and a last-minute victory at home against Virginia Intermont (Bristol, Va.), this wisdom applies to the men’s basketball team, as it approaches the final stages of the regular season.

Two weeks ago, the Lions (11-15, 6-6 in AAC) were a bad call and a buzzer away from contending for the conference crown, as they lost in overtime to now table-topping Tennessee Wesleyan College. Instead, Bryan is now tied for fourth place in the AAC and hopes to stay there until the end of regular season in order to host the first round of the conference tournament.

“We took a step backwards, now we have to take two steps forwards,” said Head Coach Don Rekoske, commenting on his team’s last three games. “We needed a week where we go 2-1; instead we went 1-2.”

“We need different people to step up”

Last Tuesday at Montreat College, Bryan’s immediate competitor for the fourth seed, the Lions had a good game but left empty-handed. After being down by 15 points early in the game, the Lions came back but just fell short of a probable big win. Twenty-one points by freshman point guard Dion Fair and a career-high 20 points for senior guard Josh Decker weren’t enough as the Cavaliers won by three points

Two days later the Lions wrestled down the Cobras of Virginia Intermont but never seemed on top of their game. Trailing throughout most parts of the game, the Lions needed a 9-1 run in the final minutes to scrape the victory. Junior forward Jerrod Allen stood out for Bryan, making six of seven shots and four of five from the line, recording 16 points.

“We had different people step up every game,” said Rekoske. “We need that.”

In Saturday’s game, however, that person was missing, according to Rekoske. The Buffaloes led the entire second half and never saw their lead threatened.

Discipline, purpose, defensive strength

Now the Lions want to focus their efforts on claiming the fourth seed in the conference. In order to accomplish that, Rekoske calls for more discipline and purpose than in the last three games. Tactically, he wants his team to get back to the collective defensive efforts that made up Bryan’s strength at the beginning of this year.

“We played pretty good offensively, scored above average. But we have to get back to playing good on the defensive end,” he said.

The Lions face a difficult schedule; two of their last four games are against top-three teams. After playing at Point University (Atlanta, Ga.), who just upset NAIA No. 1 Shorter (Rome, Ga.) on Wednesday, the Lions face the nationally ranked Bluefield (Va.) Rams at home Saturday and end the season with matches at AAC No. 2 Reinhardt (Ga.) and against Union (Barbourville, Ky.).

Good news for the Lions is that Montreat has an even harder schedule, as they still have to play all top-three AAC teams.

“It’s going to be close in all four games, but I’m optimistic that we can get back to the way we’ve been playing,” said Rekoske.

Freshman point guard Dion Fair had 13 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists in Wednesday night's game / Triangle photo by Jessica Slade

Sebastian Fischer
Sports Editor

Wednesday night was one to remember at Summers Gymnasium. In a highly entertaining, breakneck match, the men’s basketball team (10-13, 5-4 in AAC) lost to conference rival Tennessee Wesleyan College (Athens), 107-104.

With a sure victory in sight for the Lions, the referees counted a Wesleyan three-pointer that was released just after the buzzer sounded to end regulation (Click here to view video or look below). The Bulldogs went on to win the game in overtime.

“It’s a bitter pill to swallow, but you’ve got to swallow it,” said Bryan Head Coach Don Rekoske after the game. “We have to accept it and move on.”

Lions start strong amid great atmosphere

Before tip-off, one could already sense that it was going to be no ordinary game. The stands filled to the last seat, cheerleaders lined up on both ends, Rhea County High School’s pep band amidst the numerous Bryan fans, and supporters of the visiting Bulldogs on the other end—the scene was set for a perfect night of college basketball on the hill.

The Lions, who were coming off five wins in the past six games, started the game roaring, leading by as much as 15 points after seven minutes. The Bulldogs seemed to have no answer to a Bryan offense hitting on all cylinders.

Freshman point guard Dion Fair especially was too skillful and fast for Wesleyan. In the first half, Fair recorded four assists. Even more than the numbers show, his love for playing basketball infected the crowd and left his opponents watching in awe.

“It was an up-tempo game and we controlled the tempo the way we wanted to play,” said junior forward Tim Fortenberry, explaining his team’s energetic start, also praising his team’s running game.

But Tennessee Wesleyan (13-9, 7-2 in AAC) entered the match as the second AAC-seed for a reason. The Bulldogs fought their way back into the game, living off a decent 35.7 three-point percentage in the first half.

Fortenberry said that the Lions played good defense as a team, but that just wasn’t enough. “[Wesleyan] was just hitting every shot,” he said

At the end of the half, however, the lead for Bryan was still comfortable as the teams went into the locker room at 40-33.

In the second period, the Lions continued where they had left off. Tennessee Wesleyan was now pressuring deep in Bryan’s half, but that left room for Bryan’s shooters. Guards senior Lavonte Henderson and junior Rob Riley displayed some great combination play and found themselves with lots of space to drive to the basket. At the end of the game, they would have a combined score of 55, Henderson leading the Lions with 31 and adding 10 rebounds for a double-double.

Career night for Wesleyan’s Shannon Smith

But Tennessee Wesleyan had answers again, especially in the person of freshman Shannon Smith. The guard had a career night, recording 42 points for the game.

“You have to have players make big plays in those kinds of situations,” said Wesleyan head coach Mike Poe, commenting on his player’s performance. “[Smith] certainly had a great game.”

Combined, the Bulldogs hit 69.4% of their shots and 61.5% of their three-point attempts, and the Lions margin, which had grown to as much as 11 points, was melting significantly toward the end of the game.

With less than six minutes to play and the Wesleyan supporters for the first time drowning out the Bryan fans, a layup by junior wing Desmond Crisp meant the first lead of the game for the Bulldogs—75-74.

Buzzer-beater pries victory out of Lions’ hands

Officials ruled that the ball had left Wesleyan senior wing Jesse Booher's hands before the buzzer. This photo suggests otherwise / Photo courtesy of Jon Slater

Again it was Henderson and Riley who brought the Lions back on the winning track. The fans stood to their feet and started celebrating what seemed to be a secure victory as “Philly” Riley drove to the basket with 2:10 to go, got fouled and converted the free throw to make it a three-point play and push the Lions’ lead to five. Little did they know that the climax of the evening was still to come.

Wesleyan came back one more time and, trailing by three points, had possession of the ball with five seconds on the clock. The Bulldogs gave the ball to their shooter, senior wing Jesse Booher, who hit six out of seven three-pointers that night. Booher hit a long three at the buzzer, but the ball had left his hands a blink after the buzzer had gone off. The referees, however, deemed it good and under protest from the fans, the game went into overtime.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Bulldogs take home the win in overtime

In overtime the Bulldogs had the momentum. They answered two points by Riley with a three-pointer by Wesleyan junior point guard E’Jay Ward to take the lead that they would hold to the end. Trailing 107-104, Bryan had one more possession, but couldn’t find its shooters, so Fair ended up taking a shot that bounced off the rim.

“I told the team after the match that there is bad pain and good pain, and we’re experiencing the latter. We played at an exceptionally high level,” said Rekoske. “In 25 years of coaching, this was one of the best games.”

“It was a hard -fought game between two outstanding programs, a great game to be part of,” said Poe.

Rekoske content with team’s development

While the Bulldogs left the field celebrating, a memorable and exciting night of basketball for the Lions and their fans had come to a bitter end. Instead of being tied for second place, the Lions are now fourth in the AAC.

Nevertheless, Rekoske found encouraging words for his team. He said that there’s a dramatic improvement in the way the team plays now compared to the beginning of the season.

“I’m proud of the progress we’ve made,” he said. “We play better on both ends of the court and rebound much better. The margin for this team to be at the top of the league is razor thin. That is painful but encouraging at the same time.”

With seven games remaining in the regular season, Bryan travels to Montreat (N.C.) College on Tuesday and returns to Summers Gymnasium on Thursday, facing Virginia Intermont College (Bristol, Va.).

The 2011-2012 has been a tough ride for the Bryan College men’s basketball team (3-7, 0-1 in AAC) so far, and it didn’t get any easier Wednesday night. The Lions battled against conference rival Tennessee Wesleyan College (Athens) and lost a match that was closer than the score suggests with 57-69.

“We put ourselves in the position to win but didn’t execute well in the last five minutes,” said Coach Don Rekoske after the game, explaining the loss in the first conference game of the season.

While no team was able to pull clear in the first half, Bryan was trailing for the most part. Whenever the Lions came close to a lead, they lacked the final vigor and determination to seize control over the game.

With 1:55 minutes to go in the first period, Bryan recovered from a seven-point deficit when senior guard Lavonte Henderson finished a nice combination play with two easy points to take the 26:25 lead. In return, junior forward Jerrod Allen eliminated a layup with a crushing block and converted two foul shots on the other end to take Bryan’s biggest lead of the game.

Although it seemed like the Lions had the momentum to finish the half on top, they allowed six points in the last minute and had no answers on the offensive end. Wesleyan (4-3, 1-0 in AAC) went into the locker room with a lead that they would hold on to for the rest of the night.

The Bulldogs opened the second half with a three pointer by junior guard Matt Harper, who led Wesleyan with 24 points. While the hosts scored eight from beyond the arch, the Lions only had two three-pointers the whole game.

The lead expended to as many as 11 points for the Bulldogs, but thanks to a disciplined defensive effort and guards sophomore T.J. Smith, who came from the bench scoring nine points in a row, and junior Rob Riley, who led the Lions with 25 points for the game, Bryan made it a two-point game with 6:30 minutes to go.

In the final stages of the game, however, the Lions failed to get to the basket again. Freshman point guard Dion Fair, who has shown his outstanding qualities as a playmaker many times this season, created hardly anything this game, recording no assists and shooting 0 for 8 from the field.

“We played solid on defense and brought the game back, but we need more guys to step up offensively,” said Riley, trying to explain the lack of offensive firepower at a time when it was needed most. “We can’t just rely on two or three players.”

Instead of Bryan taking over, Wesleyan junior point guard E’ Jay Ward hit a three pointer and the Bulldogs pulled away again, also because the Lions showed some nerves, missing key shots from the line.

“We have to expect a lot of close games like that this season,” said Rekoske.  He said that now it is crucial for his team to learn how to win after putting itself in a good position like in Wednesday night’s game. “That’s what we’re going to work on,” he said.

The Lions play next against NCAA Division II Young Harris College on Saturday. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.

Dion Fair keeps possession of the ball during Bryan’s cardiac match against Oakwood University. The Lions won the game 85-84 / Photo by Maddie Doucet

Sebastian Fischer
Sports Reporter

The Bryan College men’s basketball team (2-4) recovered from a two-game losing streak Tuesday night, beating Oakwood University (Huntsville, Ala.) 85-84 in a back-to-back match.

The Lions faced the Oakwood Ambassadors earlier this season in an exhibition match and lost by a score of 61-50. In the second meeting between both teams the Lions had the edge and took home a deserved victory, making up some phases of weakness with a collective team effort.

“I think everybody contributed equally for our win tonight,” said freshman point guard Dion Fair, who lead the Lions with 23 points and seven assists. “[Tonight we showed] what a team is.”

The Ambassadors took the early lead as Bryan had trouble getting to the basket and allowed some easy points on the other end. Still in the opening stages of the game, however, the Lions found their rhythm from beyond the arc. Fair and junior shooting guard Rob Riley made three consecutive three-pointers to regain the lead and push it to 13-7.

Bryan never let go of that lead in the first period thanks to a solid effort from the three-point line. The Lions’ six three-pointers were opposed to two for the Ambassadors.

Nevertheless, Oakwood didn’t let the Lions pull away, dominated the game on the glass and answered a seven-point Bryan lead with five consecutive points in last few seconds, hitting a three pointer on the half-time buzzer.

The game stayed close, but led by their point guard in the vein, Bryan stayed on top. Fair had an excellent night, playing all forty minutes, showing his great potential.

“I believe I played well, but I just want to give this win to my team,” said Fair commenting on his performance. “We deserve it.”

Only once in the second half the Ambassadors took the lead but Fair and senior shooting guard Lavonte Henderson, who recorded 19 points for the game, stepped up for Bryan and with 7:30 left in the game the Lions regained the lead.

Henderson, however, showed some nerves from the free throw line and invited Oakwood back in the game. With the match standing at 84-84 and seconds left, freshman forward Alan Holt drove to the basket and got fouled. He kept his cool and converted one of his two foul shots, missing the second on purpose to run time out, winning the game for his team.

“Hopefully [the win] will spark the team to continue on a winning streak,” said Fair, looking ahead with confidence. “I believe this is a big win for us.”

The Lions play again Saturday at Tennessee Temple University (Chattanooga). Tipoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.

Freshman point guard Dion Fair speeds down the court on Tuesday night's game against Cumberland / Triangle photo by Cat Rogers

Shane Vicry
Triangle Reporter

Bryan played host to Cumberland University on Tuesday night, looking to string together a pair of wins for the first time in this young season. Despite a good start behind the support of their home crowd, a shorthanded Bryan squad lacked the offensive firepower to match the visiting Bulldogs down the stretch, losing 67-71.

The Lions came into the game undermanned, playing without the services of Lavonte Henderson. Henderson led the lions with 24 points their last time out, and is recovering from a sprained ankle. Anthony Moore, a player the Lions were likely counting on to pick up much of the slack offensively with the loss of Henderson, suffered an undisclosed injury himself in the first half and would not return to action after halftime.

Bryan opened the game with a 7-0 flurry that began with a smooth jumper from point guard Dion Fair. Keying the run was a Lions’ defense that clearly frustrated the Bulldogs in the opening moments as the visitors didn’t record a point until the 15:00 mark.

The Bulldogs seemed to settle in from that point onward, getting into their offense and putting points on the board behind their star forward Michael Sweat’s effortless scoring ability and the knock down shooting of Jerrett Towns.

Bryan battled hard throughout the first half, behind the toughness of Rob Riley who at times seemed to be willing his team to stay in it. Riley did it all for the Lions, taking up much of the burden scoring the ball while also setting the tone with defense and rebounding.

The teams entered the tunnel for intermission, knotted at 29.

Fair also played at a high level for much of the game, wowing the crowd with his electric passing and frequent spins into the lane. He finished with 6 assists though it could have been a few more had his teammates not wasted some dazzling passes with botched layup attempts.

Cumberland seized a lead early in the second half they would never relinquish. Fair had a nice steal and transition layup to make it 54-56 with 6:18 to play and Riley pulled the Lions within 2 once again with a tough step-back jumper moments later, but Bryan would get no closer as Bulldog assassin Michael Sweat seemed to always have the answer.

Riley finished with a game-high 30 points which is certainly an encouraging sign moving forward. Bryan fell to 1-3 on the season while Cumberland remained unbeaten

Bryan will travel to Young Harris College Saturday afternoon.

[Triangle photos by Cat Rogers]

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Junior shooting guard Rober "Philly" Riley (# 10) attempts to knock the ball from a Tennessee Temple player's grasp / Triangle photo by Cat Rogers

Shane Vicry
Triangle Reporter

The Bryan College men’s basketball team opened up its season Monday night, playing host to the Crusaders of Tennessee Temple University (Chattanooga). The Lions trailed throughout, and lost by a final score of 66-56.

Freshman point guard Dion Fair and junior shooting guard Rob “Philly” Riley led the Lions with 13 points apiece.

Despite the loss, the team is taking away several positives from the game, and the coaches are very optimistic about the upcoming season.

The Lions will have a much different look this season as Bryan saw 11 players depart from last year’s squad that finished the regular season as No. 2 seed of the AAC, including eight graduating seniors. As a result, outside expectations are tempered, with the Lions picked to finished seventh out of nine teams in the AAC.

Assistant Coach Samuel Gilbertson says he feels the lowered expectations really play to the team’s advantage.

“Last year we were picked to win the conference, and it was just a lot of pressure night in and night out,” Gilbertson said.

This year’s team will welcome a season where they aren’t playing every game with a target on their back.

Against Temple, the team suffered from a lack of efficiency on offense and responsibility on defense, but Gilbertson thinks that those are both things that should rapidly improve, as the team has time to buy into and familiarize themselves with the system.

“We played hard, but not hard enough,” said Riley about the loss against Temple. He added that the team needs to build chemistry as the players are just starting to gel as a unit. “We have done good for a team that has never played with each other.”

“Philly”, as the Philadelphia native is called by his teammates, however is very optimistic about the team’s future. He said that once everybody gets Coach Don Rekoske’s concept nothing stands in the way of a successful season. The biggest strength of the 2011 Lions is pace, according to the Shooting Guard.

“We get up and down the court real quick,” Riley said.

Despite returning no starters from last year’s team, the Lions seem to have already solidified this year’s starting five which the coaches believe is as talented as any in the conference. The situation on down the depth chart will likely be much more fluid. Bryan is likely to go ten deep this season and the bench minutes are still very much up for grabs with so many new players being broken in.

The coaches are high on several potential reserves, noting they have a lot of guys who can be plugged in to serve a very specific role. Sophomore guard T.J. Smith and senior guard Josh Decker can come in and provide shooting while junior forward Carrin Nash can be counted on to provide a boost on the offensive glass.

Freshman Fair, a highly recruited point guard is expected to be leaned on heavily. He possesses a great all-around skill set and is a real threat as a scorer, but the coaching staff is looking for him to become more of a facilitator as the season wears on.

Reilly, who premiers on the court for the Lions this year due to redshirting in his junior year, aspires to be a mainstay of the team’s offense. His strength is a hardly stoppable drive to the basket, a foretaste of that was visible against the Crusaders.

A big key for the season will be whether or not the Lions can hold their own on the glass. They are hoping that while they are somewhat undersized, they can make up for it with their toughness. The team was out rebounded by eleven on Monday night, but did collect more offensive boards than Temple.

Bryan will be putting a lot of talent and promise on the floor in 2011-2012. It remains to be seen how that will translate into wins and losses.

“The beauty of this season,” Giblertson said,” is that the guys who perform in practice will get playing time. No one is entitled.”

Hopefully this sort of competition in practice will help prepare the Lions for another winning season under Rekoske.

The Lions travel Thursday to Cumberland University for a non-conference game. They will start their march towards an AAC crown on November 30 in the conference opener at Tennessee Wesleyan College.

[Triangle photos by Cat Rogers]

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Senior forward Keith Bauer attmepts to break through Union’s defense on his way to the basket during Saturday afternoon’s game./Triangle photo by Catherine Rogers

by Catherine Rogers
Multimedia Editor

Saturday afternoon marked the regular-season finale game for the Bryan College men’s basketball team, during which they hosted and defeated the Union College (Barbourville, Ky.) Bulldogs, 77-69.

“Union has one of the best players in the league, [sophomore guard Turrell Morris], and they won two decisive games coming in, so we knew they we’re going to be a tough team,” said Head Coach Don Rekoske. “I thought we had to play at a very high level to beat them, so that’s a tribute to how well our guys played.”

In the first half, Bryan took the game’s first lead and despite a five-minute back-and-forth swap, held the lead for the majority of the first 20 minutes of play. Going into the locker rooms, the Bulldogs trailed the Lions 37-33.

The second period saw the Lions pull out an 11-point lead in the half’s first three minutes and top the high level of play from Union, managing an 8-point win. Bryan outrebounded Union, 36-27, and committed only eight turnovers to Union’s eleven.

“We had control most of the game, but they stayed just close enough to keep the heat on us the entire night,” said Rekoske. “Every time we got ahead by ten or twelve, they cut it down to five or six. We never trailed, but we never had that room that you like to have to ensure a win.”

The Lions were led by senior forward Scott Newton, who scored a game-high 25 points.

Other key players included junior guard Lavonte Henderson, who managed 15 points and 5 rebounds off the bench, and senior forward Keith Bauer, who was terrific defensively and a beast on the glass, according to Rekoske, with nine points and eight rebounds.

Senior forward Astral Guerrier finished the night with a double-double, scoring 13 points and a game high 10 rebounds.

“Astral got rebounds that only he can get,” said Rekoske. “I don’t know where he was coming from, but I was wowed by some of the efforts he made on the glass.”

The Lion’s finished their regular-season with 21 wins and 8 losses, ranking second in their league.

Last night, they hosted Tennessee Wesleyan College (Athens, Tenn.) in the first round of the Appalachian Athletic Conference tournament (see www.bryanlions.com for game results), setting their sights on winning three games in a row to send them to the national tournament in Branson, Mo.

[Gallery photos by Catherine Rogers]

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Senior point guard Demond Craig attempts a move around Virginia Intermont players / Triangle Photo by Catherine Rogers

The Bryan College men’s basketball team hosted the Virginia Intermont College (Bristol, Va.) Cobras last Wednesday in a conference game expected to continue the Lion’s winning streak. The Cobras took the win, 65-61.

Both teams took turns leading during the first half, but the halftime buzzer left the Lions trailing the Cobras, 37-29.

The rest of the game was led by the Cobras until just over five minutes remained on the clock. The two teams fought for the lead for several minutes until the Cobras took a one point lead in the final minute of the game. With 22 seconds left, the Cobras moved to a three point lead. Twelve seconds remained and a Virginia Intermont player hit a free throw putting their lead at four points.

In the final six seconds, the Lions scored a layup, but immediately fouled giving Virginia Intermont two free throws. They scored both shots and won the game.

The Lions top scorer of the night, senior guard Xavierian McCall, scored 16 points. Other key players included senior guard Dominique Clements with 10 points, senior guard Derek Batt with eight points and senior forward Keith Bauer who managed nine points and seven rebounds. Senior forward Astral Guerrier added eight points and 17 rebounds.

The Lions traveled to Milligan College (Elizabethton, Tenn.) Saturday night and lost, 62-47, to the Buffalo’s who are now number one in the NAIA Division II Conference.

The next game for the Lions will be against Reinhardt University (Waleska, Ga.) at home this Wednesday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30pm.

[Gallery photos by Catherine Rogers]

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The Bryan College Men’s Basketball Team hosted Maryville (Tenn.) College Monday night, winning their last nonconference game of the season, 79-73, and putting their winning streak total at ten in the last 11 games.

“Maryville was a big game, but every game is big now,” said senior guard Derek Batt. “Maryville is extremely talented and beat us at our last meeting, but we are on a mission this season.”

Senior forward Astral Guerrier reaches for the ball in Monday's game against Maryville College / Triangle photo by Catherine Rogers

Speaking about the Lions’ mission, senior point guard Demond Craig said that this game was no different than any other game.

“We must win every time we step on the court,” he said.

In the first half, the Lions and Scots fought incessantly for the lead, but by halftime the Lions had claimed their place, going into the locker rooms with a leading score of 34-29.

The second half saw Maryville challenge the Lions, tying the score and then taking turns with the lead until just over nine minutes were left on the clock. The Lions held the lead until the final buzzer.

Senior forward Scott Newton had a “monster performance,” according to Craig, finishing the game with a season high 31 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 steals.

Other key players of the night included senior guard Dominique Clements, who scored 13 points, and senior forward Astral Guerrier, who had a double-double and added 14 points and 12 rebounds

“The team is doing great and I am proud to be a member of it,” said Craig. “This year feels like a special year for Bryan College basketball.”

This week the Lions moved up to rank number 23 in the NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll. They host their next game against Virginia Intermont College (Bristol, Va.) tonight at 7:30pm.

[Gallery photos by Catherine Rogers]

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Senior forward Keith Bauer chases down a Lee player/Triangle photo by Catherine Rogers

Last Monday night, the men’s varsity basketball team faced the team that Head Coach Don Rekoske deemed as the most athletic on their schedule, the NAIA Division 1 Flames of Lee University (Cleveland, Tenn.).

The game was a showdown, intense down to the last second, keeping fans on the edge of their seat as both teams fought for the win. The Lions kept the game close throughout the night but finally succumbed to the Flames 77-68.

Going into the game, the Lions were confident, according to Rekoske.

“We knew we could compete,” he said. “But I knew if we didn’t play well, they could beat us pretty good. So, we had to play well to stay in the game and make it a good game.”

The Lions started strong, taking a 14-8 lead, but by the end of the first half the Flames had taken their place, leading by 15 points.

The second half saw the Lions fight their way back into the lead, only to lose it for good with a little over seven minutes left in the game.

Rekoske said that losing the game came down to two things: not making enough plays in the last three minutes of the game and not shooting the ball with as much accuracy as Lee.

“We took care of the ball—we had seven turnovers to their 16, and that’s a major statistic. We had 10 offensive rebounds to their eight, and we took 13 more shots than they shot. The weakness was that they just shot the ball better than we did—that was the big difference,” he said.

Lions senior guard Dominique Clements was the top scorer of the night with 27 points, hitting six 3-pointers. Lions senior forward Scott Newton was also a lead scorer with 20 points and seven rebounds.

“It was a high level game—two very good teams going at it,” said Rekoske. “We feel like we could have won the game, so it’s a bitter pill to swallow the day after, but it’s all part of getting better.”

The Lions aim to win their conference this season and go to the national tournament. Their next home game is Nov. 10 against Oakwood College. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

[Gallery photos by Catherine Rogers]

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