Hickory, N.C. - The Lenoir-Rhyne College Men's Basketball Team (10-7, 4-1 SAC) moved into sole possession of second place in the South Atlantic Conference with a 69-55 victory over Presbyterian College (13-6, 3-2 SAC) Saturday evening at Shuford Gymnasium.

Sophomore forward Reggie Bratton (Charlotte, N.C.) came off the bench to score a game-high 18 points on six-of-seven shooting for the Bears.

Senior forward Tray Ballenger (Wellford, S.C.) was the Blue Hose top scorer with 16 points and finished the game making six-of-eight field goal attempts including four three-pointers.

L-R built a 33-21 lead with one minute remaining in the first half but Presbyterian went on a 22-4 run to take a 43-37 lead five minutes into the second half. PC hit its first seven shots after break and, including the final minutes of the first half, made 10 straight field goals in building the six-point advantage. Ballenger was key in the run, hitting three consecutive treys in the first 2:48 after intermission.

However, Lenoir-Rhyne took control again behind a 13-0 run for a 50-43 lead at the 10:27 mark and never trailed again.

PC, the eighth-ranked team in the NCAA Division II South Atlantic Region Poll, could get no closer than five points the rest of the way as Lenoir-Rhyne ended the game with a 9-2 run for the 14-point victory.

Sophomore forward Josh Kindred (Holly Springs, N.C.) added 12 points and junior guard Marcus Springs (Charlotte, N.C./Myers Park HS) scored all 10 of his points in the second half as the Bears shot 56 percent (28-of-50) from the floor and forced PC into 20 turnovers for the evening.

Junior forward Grant Herren (Oviedo, Fla.) scored 10 points and pulled down a game-high eight rebounds for the Blue Hose.

In their next contests, Presbyterian takes on Tusculum College in Greeneville, Tenn., while Newberry College will host Lenoir-Rhyne in Newberry, S.C. Both contests begin at 8 p.m. on Wednesday.