Lion secure second place with win against Cumberland

February 18, 2023

by Dustin Semore, FHU Sports Information Director

LEBANON, Tenn. — The No. 22 Freed-Hardeman University Lions claimed the second seed in next week's Mid-South Conference Tournament by finishing the regular season with a 74-59 win over the Phoenix of Cumberland (Tenn.) University.

Peyton Law's 3-pointer opened the scoring for the Lions (20-8, 16-6 MSC) before Hunter Scurlock's layup preceded JaQuan Lax's triple to give FHU a 12-4 advantage. The Phoenix answered with back-to-back 3-pointers, but Dawson Bailey joined the long ball party, followed by Law's second make from long range. With the Lions holding a 21-16 edge with 9:28 remaining before intermission, the hosts from Cumberland steamed forward with 11 unanswered points to flip a three-point deficit into a six-point lead. Law broke the scoreless streak with his third 3-pointer of the night before Scurlock's long ball allowed the Lions to reclaim the lead. With JJ Wheat's layup falling before the horn sounded, Freed-Hardeman held a 33-31 after the first half.

With 20 minutes remaining in the regular season, the Freed-Hardeman defense would clamp down the Phoenix (13-15, 9-13 MSC) shooters by not allowing the hosts to begin any kind of run. Despite Cumberland hitting four 3-pointers, the Lions would answer each triple with multiple back-to-back trips to the paint. FHU would score 34 points in the paint to run away with the 74-59 win.

Peyton Law was 8-10 from the field to propel him to his first 20+ point outing, collecting a game-high 22 points. The freshman was a rebound away from a double-double, grabbing a team-high nine boards. Hunter Scurlock chipped in with 15 points, with JJ Wheat and Brandon Thomas following with 13 and 11 points, respectively.

Up Next

Finishing in the top four of the Mid-South Conference, the Lions have received a bye to the quarterfinal round of the MSC Tournament in Bowling Green, Kentucky to be played on Saturday, February 25 at 5:00 p.m. The Lions will be focusing their attention on Williamsburg, Kentucky, where the winner of the opening round matchup between the seventh-seeded University of the Cumberlands (Ky.) and 10th-seeded Campbellsville (Ky.) University to learn their quarterfinal opponent.