BELMONT, NC - Belmont Abbey senior guard Brooks Beard led all players with 22 points, sinking seven of his 11 field goal attempts, including a 4-7 effort from three-point range, as the Crusaders snapped a six-game losing streak with a convincing 76-64 win over Lees-McRae this evening at the Wheeler Center. The Abbey improves its record to 3-7 overall and 2-3 in the CVAC, while the Bobcats fall to 3-6 overall and 2-2 in the CVAC.

Along with his 22 points, Beard sank all four of his free throw attempts and pulled down four rebounds, dished out four assists and collected one steal in 32 minutes of action. Senior forward Sidney Hoff added a double double with 16 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Hoff sank six of his ten field goal attempts, including a pair of dunks, as the Crusaders shot 52 percent (26-50) from the field and 81.8 percent (18-22) from the free throw line.

The two teams exchanged leads several times and featured four ties through the first 10:12/> of the contest, with neither team recording a lead higher than four points, until the Abbey took the lead for good with 8:21/> left in the first half. Down 16-14 with 9:48/> left, the Crusaders pulled away from the Bobcats by outscoring them 21-10 over the last 9:48/> to grab a 34-26 lead into halftime.

Picking right back up where it left off from the first half, the Crusaders opened the final stanza on an 8-3 run in the first 3:27/> to build a 13-point advantage, 42-29, with 16:33/> left. Lees-McRae would answer with a 13-2 run to pull within two points at 44-42 with 12:11/> left, but the Abbey answered with an 18-6 run to stretch the lead to 14 points at 62-48 with 7:13/> left. Beard recorded 10 of those points, draining two three-pointers, a short jumper and a pair of free throws.

From there, the Bobcats could not close the lead to fewer than ten points, and the Crusaders sank eight free throws in eight attempts in the final 1:10/> to seal the win.

The Crusaders dominated the boards, holding a 40-26 advantage in rebounds, as Hoff's 11 rebounds led all players. Freshman forward Chad Patus collected eight rebounds to go along with seven points. Guard Deonte Murphy led all players with three steals as Belmont Abbey finished with 12 on the evening.

The Abbey is back in action Thursday night when it travels to Laurinburg/>, North Carolina/>/> to face St. Andrew's Presbyterian/> College/>/>. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m./>