CLINTON, S.C. - Presbyterian College's senior Tray Ballenger (Wellford, S.C.) and freshman Bryan Bostic (Norcross, Ga.) combined for 27 points to lead the Blue Hose to an 80-62 victory over the Bears of Lenoir-Rhyne College in South Atlantic Conference men's basketball action Saturday afternoon at the Ross E. Templeton Center. PC improves to 20-7 overall (8-3) with the victory, while Lenoir-Rhyne falls to 15-9 (9-3) on the season.
Ballenger hit seven-of-10 field goal attempts on the night including two-of-four from beyond the arc, while Bostic was three-of-six from three-point range and added four assists. Ballenger added four boards and four steals for the game.
The Blue Hose jumped out to a 19-6 lead early in the first half thanks in part to seven early points from Ballenger. The Bears trimmed the lead to only eight points, the last coming at 28-20 with 3:05 remaining on a pair of free throws by junior Marcus Springs (Charlotte, N.C.). Presbyterian closed the half on a 6-4 run to take a 34-24 advantage into halftime.
Ballenger led all scorers with 10 first half points for the Blue Hose, while the Bears were paced by sophomore Josh Kindred's (Holly Springs, N.C.) nine points. The Blue Hose shot an impressive 51.7% from the field in the first frame, compared to 42.9% for the Bears.
In the second half, PC's lead increased to 20 points at 61-41, midway through the half on a three-pointer by junior Sean Dixon (Marietta, Ga.). The Bears would only get as close as 13 points (66-53) the rest of the way on a layup by sophomore Josh Rudder (Graham, N.C.) at the 5:41 mark. The Blue Hose would hit six straight free throw attempts in the final four minutes, including four in a row from sophomore Drew Biggs (Alpharetta, Ga.) to seal the victory.
The Blue Hose shot an impressive 68.4% from the floor in the second half and finished the game shooting 58.3% from the field, including nine-of-21 from beyond the arc. Dixon added eight points, seven boards, and four assists for the Blue Hose, while redshirt sophomore Martynas Versinskas (Kaunas, Lithuania) and sophomore Pat Kiscaden (Oviedo, Fla.) came off the bench to tally eight and nine points respectively.
Presbyterian returns to action on Monday, February 20 when they travel to Jefferson City, Tenn. to take on Carson-Newman College at 8:00 pm in a make-up game from earlier in the month. The Bears return home to host the Indians of Newberry College on Wednesday, February 22 at 8:00 pm.
