HENDERSON, Tenn. - On a night where the Lions' outside shots weren't falling, Zack Frey's shots were.
The senior center scored a season-high 31 points on 13-of-17 shooting - including a 7-for-7 performance in the second half - to boost the No. 18 Freed-Hardeman Lions past Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) College on Tuesday night in the FHU Sports Center.
The Lions entered the night shooting 41.9 percent from 3-point range for the season, but couldn't get the outside shots to fall despite getting several open looks at the basket. FHU went 2-for-17 in the game, knocking down just one 3-pointer in each half.
But Frey was unstoppable inside, whether by getting good seals and scoring directly off of entry passes or shooting over defenders, making Freed-Hardeman's cold outside shooting a factor that wasn't.
Frey scored the Lions' first seven points as FHU bolted out to a 13-2 lead. But Lindsey Wilson didn't allow Freed-Hardeman to pull away as the lead fluctuated between seven and 13 points for the remainder of the half. Anthony Sampson's ball pressure allowed Jesse Moulton to come up with a steal and break away for a layup in the final seconds of the half to give the Lions a 36-24 halftime lead.
Freed-Hardeman appeared set to pull away early in the second half, opening it on a 13-6 run to take a 49-30 lead with 15:45 to play. Lindsey Wilson, however, slowly chipped away to cut the lead to seven points (59-52) on at the 6:27 mark.
Seven points would be the closest the Blue Raiders would be able to get. Greer tipped in a Moulton miss on FHU's next possession; moments later, with LWC down seven with the ball, Vincent Barnes came up with a big steal that turned into another Frey basket. Lindsey Wilson forced two turnovers that converted into points in the final minute to get back within seven, but Frey and Ken Bingham sealed the game at the foul line.
Freed-Hardeman improves to 5-0 on the season, marking the first time in nine years that the Lions have opened the season with five straight wins.
Frey was the only FHU player to record double-digits in scoring. Moulton and Kirtiss Brown each had nine points. McPherson led LWC with 15 points while Kalen Kimberland added 13. The Lions won the battle of the boards, 39-22.
FHU hits the road for the first time this season on Saturday, paying a visit to Campbellsville (Ky.) University for a 1:00 PM tip. The Tigers are coming off a 57-50 road win over No. 8 Union (Tenn.) tonight in Jackson.
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