BANNER ELK, NC-Belmont Abbey outscored Lees-McRae 50-48 in the second half, cutting a second-half deficit from as high as 20 points down to five with 16 seconds left, but the Bobcats converted nine free throws in the final two minutes, including two with 17 seconds left, as the Bobcats withstood a Crusader charge and held on to win, 91-84 this evening in Banner Elk. Lees-McRae improves its record to 5-15 overall and 4-9 in the CVAC, while the Abbey falls to 5-15 overall and 4-10 in the CVAC.

The Crusaders shot 49.2 percent (30-61) from the floor as sophomore guard Deonte Murphy led all players with 21 points on 8-13 shooting from the floor and 5-6 from the free throw line. He also dished out three assists and collected a steal. Senior forward Anthony Bell tallied 20 points, and senior forward Sidney Hoff contributed a double double with 14 points and ten rebounds.

With the two schools tied at eight with 15:34/> left, the Abbey went on an 11-6 run to build a five-point lead, capped off by a short jumper by Hoff, to give it a 19-14 advantage with 11:09/> left in the half. The Bobcats would counter by scoring six straight points to take a lead it would never lose for the rest of the contest. Up 20-19 with 8:53/>remaining in the stanza, the Bobcats closed the half on a 23-15 run to take a 43-34 lead into the break. Lees-McRae built its lead to as high as 13 points, but Karl Bauza three-pointer with 31 seconds left closed the deficit to nine at the break.

The Bobcats opened the second half on a 13-2 run to widen its lead to 19 points at 55-36 with 15:49/> left. The Abbey would go on an 11-4 run to close the lead to 12, but the Bobcats answered with another flurry to build its lead to 20 points at 71-51 with 8:40/> left. But the Abbey would fight back, as it cut the lead it half after embarking on a 22-12 run over the next 7:13/> to trim the lead to ten at 83-73 with 1:47/> left. Murphy scored six of those points, Bell/>/>and senior guard Brooks Beard added five each, as the Abbey got back within striking distance.

Two Bobcats free throws pushed the lead back to 12, 85-73 with 1:26/>left, but the Abbey fought back once again. Murphy cut the lead to ten with a short jumper, and after two Lees-McRae free throws, Hoff trimmed the lead back to ten with a layup. From there, Lees-McRae hit nothing but free throws, while Murphy sank consecutive jumpers to pull the Abbey within eight at 89-81 with 21 seconds left. Lees-McRae failed to score on its next possession, and Abbey freshman guard Patrick Kuhlman trimmed the lead to five with a top-of-the-key three-pointer with 16 seconds left. Forced to foul, Lees-McRae guard Darius Roper closed the scoring with two free throws with 17 seconds left to provide the winning margin.