Blake Dean tallied 23 points in No. 2 Freed-Hardeman University’s matchup with the No. 6 University of the Cumberlands Patriots. The Lions connected for 11 3-pointers in the first half to push them to a 90-63 victory.
Rico Sain’s layup was the first bucket for FHU (22-1, 7-0 MSC) before he was joined by Phil Horton and Blake Dean with 3-pointers to give the Lions a 16-9 lead at 14:05. Dean would put FHU on his shoulders for the next 10 minutes, scoring 13 of the Lions’ 15 points including three 3-pointers. Horton added back-to-back triples before Sain slammed home the end of an 8-0 run that ended at 4:18 with the Lions leading 41-23. After DJ McIntyre joined with a triple, Dean ended the half with a layup to give FHU a 46-32 halftime lead.
The strong start by FHU stunned the Patriots (18-4, 3-3 MSC), who were never able to string together multiple buckets. Lane Lauderbaugh would stand tall in the paint, scoring three straight layups before McIntyre netted back-to-back treys. In the final minute of the game, Birman Jenkins’ layup set the final score at 90-63 in the FHU win.
FHU shot 58% for the third time this season, holding the Patriots to a 34% mark from the floor. The Lions significantly outdid Cumberlands from long range, connecting for 13 3-pointers while holding UC to just one.
Blake Dean’s career-high 23 points led all scorers with Phil Horton’s 4-7 night from beyond the arc helping him score 14 points. DJ McIntyre added 12 points while Rico Sain ended with 12. Horton led FHU with seven rebounds while Jamarcus Powell had four steals.
Anderson’s season high leads FHU to victory
By Dustin Semore
Scoring a season-high 16 points, Jailen Anderson led the No. 2 Freed-Hardeman University Lions to victory over the No. 18 Georgetown College Tigers, 84-63.
Gathering points in bunches, the Lions (21-1, 6-0 MSC) took advantage of a pair of big runs to push ahead in the first half. At 15:06, Lane Lauderbaugh’s layup began a nine-point run that ended with a steal and score from Rico Sain to make FHU’s lead 16-0 at 12:24. The Tigers then went on a 10-3 run of their own to take a lead late in the first half. Unshaken, Jamarcus Powell hit a pair of free throws that pushed FHU to outdo the Tigers 12-4 in the final three minutes. Phil Horton’s buzzer-beating layup gave FHU momentum and a 37-32 halftime lead.
Georgetown (16-5, 2-3 MSC) was held without a field goal until the 16:41 mark while the Lions were able to bucket seven straight points highlighted by a 3-pointer from Caleb Thomas before Cam Hudson’s layup made the FHU lead 46-34. A seven-point run by GC in the middle of the half narrowed the FHU lead to two possessions, but Anderson ignited a 15-1 run that ended at 4:24 with the Lions leading by 20 points. A 3-pointer from Thomas and FHU’s free throw shooting helped ride out the 84-63 victory.
In the contest, the Lions scored a season-high 26 points from the charity stripe with 15 of those coming in the second half. FHU led at the window with 43 rebounds to Georgetown’s 39. The Lions nearly doubled the Tigers in the paint, scoring 40 points to GC’s 22.
Jailen Anderson led the charge with 16 points while Phil Horton’s seven field goals helped him score 15. Rodney Henderson helped with 11 points. Nine different Lions grabbed rebounds with Lane Lauderbaugh’s six leading the Lions.
