MARS HILL, N.C. - Brevard overcame struggles at the free throw line Wednesday at Stanford Arena with its best shooting performance in over two years, defeating homestanding Mars Hill 86-81 to exact revenge for the Lions' win on Brevard's home floor nine days ago.
The Tornados (4-19, 3-14 SAC) shot at a blistering 59.3-percent clip from the field, making 35 of their 59 attempts to notch the team's sixth-best shooting day since joining the NCAA prior to the 2008-09 season. It marked the sixth time in the last eight contests that the Tornados have made at least half of their field goal attempts. Brevard did the bulk of its damage inside, blistering Mars Hill (9-14, 5-12 SAC) for 54 points in the paint.
Demarcus Threatt poured in 24 points to lead the team. Stevie Williams notched 21 points four days after establishing a new career high with 22 against then-No. 13 Queens. Alex Moe scored 14 points and swatted away two shots, while Miles Leathers had nine points to go along with a game-high 12 rebounds.
Brevard spoiled a career day for Mars Hill's Justin Yeargin, who scored 37 points on a 13-for-19 shooting night that included five three-point field goals. The senior guard provided nearly half the Lions' offense, with Michael Carson and Tyree Griffin pitching in 12 and 11 points, respectively, to join Yeargin in double figures.
The Tornados trailed only once in the contest, falling behind 6-0 after Yeargin connected on the Lions' first two shots of the evening. A Threatt triple nearly two minutes into the game gave Brevard its first lead before the Tornados broke the game's only tie on a Williams layup.
A 13-5 run spanning over four minutes pushed the Tornados' advantage to nine points, punctuated when Leathers snatched a defensive rebound off an errant layup and drove coast to coast to put the Tornados ahead 25-16. Brevard's advantage hovered between five and 10 points the rest of the half, with the Tornados' 61.3-percent first-half shooting performance thwarting Mars Hill's attempts to challenge for the lead.
The Tornados led by as many as 15 points with 16 minutes to play before the Lions began to chip away at the lead. Brevard's struggles at the charity stripe were evident in the second half as the Tornados were true on half of their 16 attempts.
But Brevard's veterans stepped up when it mattered most. Mars Hill cut the Tornados' lead to as few as three points in the final two minutes of the contest, with Yeargin, Griffin, and Carson providing crucial baskets down the stretch. Moe, Leathers, and Threatt, however, combined to hit five of Brevard's last six free throw attempts, ensuring that the Mars Hill deficit remained two possessions each time the Lions drove down the floor.
Brevard travels to face Wingate on Saturday, concluding a brutal 20-day stretch that sees the Tornados play nine games in league play. Tipoff from Cuddy Arena is set for 4:00 p.m.|
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