2011-12 Men's Basketball

HENDERSON, Tenn. - The Freed-Hardeman Lions showed the mettle of a nationally ranked team tonight.

The Mid-Continent (Ky.) Cougars showed why they are an up-and-coming force in the TranSouth Conference, rallying back from a 16-point first-half deficit with physical defense.  But in the end, it was the No. 20 Lions who played with poise and control en route to an 80-64 win.

Both teams shot the ball poorly in the opening minutes of the game, but FHU caught fire mid-way through the first half making eight consecutive shots from the field while going on a 19-6 run to build a 31-15 lead with 6:59 in the half.  But the Cougars clawed back, stepping up their defensive intensity, and cut the lead down to six points (37-31) with 2:05 left after a 3-pointer by Joshua Woodley before FHU took a 43-35 lead into halftime.

Mid-Continent, not known for its perimeter shooting, starting connecting from behind the arc early in the second half.  Three-pointers on consecutive possessions helped pull the Cougars within two points, and the FHU lead remained there at 54-52 with 9:40 to play.

But the Lions responded by proving why their ranking is well deserved.

FHU went on a 10-2 run highlighted by a hard-fought three-point play on a putback by Zack Frey.  After a basket by MCU's Kenny Thomas, the Lions turned the heat up some more by outscoring the Cougars 12-4 over the next two minutes to regain a 16-point lead, 76-60, with 3:06 to play, a lead that Mid-Continent would not threaten again.

Frey led all scorers with 18 points on 8-of-10 shooting while Shun Trevillian, Logan Greer, and Kristoffer Smith each added 11.

FHU (15-6) finishes the first half of its conference schedule at 7-1 and remains in first place in the TranSouth Conference.  Mid-Continent falls to 7-10 overall and 4-3 in conference.

The Lions get a week off before hosting Trevecca Nazarene (Tenn.) University on Jan. 29.

Notes: Jesse Moulton recorded a career-high six steals...Smith and Greer each had crowd-pleasing dunks late in the game that highlighted FHU's endgame runs...Tyler Jennings came down on his ankle early in the second half and did not return...As he did last year, Frey has stepped his game up in conference play, averaging 16.1 points per game against TranSouth opponents while shooting 61.9 percent.