Scurlock's double-double leads Lions to MSC final

February 26, 2023

by Dustin Semore, FHU Sports Information Director

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — Hunter Scurlock was the model of perfection for the No. 21 Freed-Hardeman University Lions in Sunday's Mid-South Conference Semifinal. The senior was 8-8 from the field while grabbing 11 rebounds to help the Lions defeat the No. 24 Thomas More (Ky.) University Saints 72-61.

Competing as the tournament's No. 2 seed, the Lions (22-8, 16-6 MSC) fell behind early after coughing the ball up five times in the first five minutes of the semifinal, with the Saints opening up a 12-6 advantage. Unsuccessful from beyond the arc in the first half, Coach Drew Stutts' Lions made the adjustment and drove into the lane to chip away at the Saint lead until JaQuan Lax stole the ball away and went the length of the floor to lay in a 21-20 score in FHU's favor at 5:36. Late free throws in the first half helped the Lions extend that lead in the form of an 8-0 run over the last two minutes of the half, with Ryley McClaran's jumper in the paint giving FHU their largest lead of the half at nine points. After TMU tallied a late 3-pointer, JJ Wheat's free throw settled the opening act with the Lions holding a 34-27 lead.

The No. 3 seed Thomas More (22-8, 15-7 MSC) Saints came out of the intermission and fought back twice in the half. Early 3-pointers whittled down the deficit until a triple at 15:59 saw the Lions' lead shrink to two points. From there the Lion point guards used their speed and wiles to drive into the paint where Lax and Wheat teamed up for a 10-2 run to put the Lions back on top by 10. Undeterred, Thomas More battled back with seven unanswered points, eventually drawing even with the Lions with 6:27 left in the semifinal. Freed-Hardeman still had gas in the tank, as the men in maroon and white went on a 16-2 run across the final five minutes to send FHU to their first Mid-South Conference Championship final with a 72-61 win.

Despite going 0-7 from long range, Freed-Hardeman fed the paint where they out-scored the Saints 56-18. Choosing their shots wisely, FHU's 28-46 night saw them tally 60.9% from the field. The Lions utilized their bench to success, collecting 24 bench buckets while the Saints' bench was scoreless.

JaQuan Lax and JJ Wheat both had big nights to collect 18 points each, while Scurlock's double-double was also highlighted by a game-high five steals.

Up Next

Having guaranteed a berth into the NAIA Men's Basketball National Tournament, the Lions will challenge the league's regular season champion No. 8 Georgetown (Ky.) College Tigers for the conference tournament championship. The Lions and the top-seeded Tigers will clash tomorrow, February 27, at 7:30 p.m.