No. 2 Lions Big Second Half Sinks No. 16 Tigers to Open MSC Play

HENDERSON, Tenn. – The No. 16 Georgetown College men's basketball team (13-4, 0-1 MSC) kicked off the Mid-South Conference season with an 80-67 loss to No. 2 Freed-Hardeman (16-1, 1-0 MSC) in the Brewer Sports Center on Thursday night

HOW IT HAPPENED
Playing on the road and in conference play for the first time this season, the Tigers came prepared. Fueled by Isaiah Mason's six points in the early stages, the Tigers commanded a 9-6 lead just under five minutes into the game. Mason's basket at the 13:10 mark tied the game at 1-11, and just over three minutes later, Georgetown went on a 9-0 run to recapture the lead for the rest of the half. Scotty Browning splashed a 3-pointer at the 9:29 mark to start the run, and Zion Harmon's 3-pointer at the 5:37 mark gave the visitors a nine-point lead, the largest of the half. Harmon's shot from distance also capped an extended 13-3 run for Georgetown, which shot nearly 44% from the field in the opening half. The final five minutes belonged to the Lions, though, as a pair of Aden Nyekan baskets was all the Tigers' offense could provide. Freed-Hardeman cut it to a 32-29 contest at the break.

After the Lions scored the opening five points of the second half, the Tigers countered with a 7-0 run of their own to maintain their five-point lead. From there, it turned into a game of runs as six straight points from the hosts tilted things towards FHU before a Julius Edmonds layup gave Georgetown a 42-40 lead. Isaiah Mason hit a jumper at the 12:00 mark before the first of two Lions' runs put things out of reach. Five straight points gave FHU a 49-44 lead with just over 11 minutes to play, and then the game changed after Mason's 3-pointer with just over seven minutes to play. A quick 8-0 run by FHU sunk the Tigers into an insurmountable 67-55 hole with 5:35 to play. Despite pulling back within five points with just over three and a half minutes to play, the Lions executed down the stretch to hold on for the 80-67 victory.

THE TEAM 
Georgetown shot 42.4% from the field. The Tigers were 4-19 (21.1%) from deep and shot 13-20 (65.0%) at the free-throw line. GC won the rebounding battle 41-27, while the Lions held the assists advantage, 13-12. The Lions also produced more steals, 11-8.

THE PLAYERS
* Isaiah Mason led the way with 17 points on 8-of-12 shooting with 10 rebounds.
* Rashad Bishop added 13 points off the bench and pulled down six rebounds.
* Aden Nyekan tallied 10 points and two rebounds.

UP NEXT
The Tigers close the week on the road against Bethel University (15-2, 1-0 MSC) on Saturday, January 10.

Tip-off is set for 4:00 p.m. against the Wildcats in Crisp Arena.