After a perfect regular season against Mid-South Conference opponents, the No. 1 Freed-Hardeman University Lions continued their dominance in league play, winning the MSC tournament title for the fourth consecutive season, this time defeating the seventh-seeded Bethel Wildcats, 72-64.
The top-seeded Lions (29-1) got started with a layup from Phil Horton before a Caleb Thomas 3-pointer followed. Bethel would answer with a set of triples of their own before a layup at 15:42 gave the Wildcats a two-point lead. Horton slammed back-to-back dunks to reclaim the lead before Lane Lauderbaugh’s 3-pointer helped FHU to a 7-0 run. The Lions continued to forge ahead with back-to-back layups from Jailen Anderson and Jamarcus Powell sparking an offensive flurry that ended with Horton’s layup at 3:10 giving the Lions a 37-17 lead. Bethel would score the final six points of the half, but the Lions held a 37-23 lead at halftime.
Freed-Hardeman opened the second half with another Thomas trey before Rodney Henderson scored seven of FHU’s next eight points. Bethel (18-12) followed with seven unanswered points to cut into FHU’s lead before the West Tennessee rivals traded blows over the remaining 10 minutes of the contest. A five-point swing late in the half narrowed the Lion lead to six, but Blake Dean’s free throws sealed the 72-64 victory and tournament title.
The Lions forced 18 turnovers in the victory, but the FHU bench was the biggest differential: scoring 41 points to Bethel’s nine.
Phil Horton led the Lions with 14 points while Rodney Henderson followed with a 13-point effort. Jamarcus Powell led with nine rebounds while Horton grabbed six boards.
Up Next - FHU earns the MSC’s automatic bid to the 2026 NAIA National Championship, with the Brewer Sports Center hosting the first and second rounds on March 13 and 14.
