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HICKORY, NC- The Â鶹ÊÓƵ men's basketball team used a strong second half to pick-up a 78-76 win over Lenoir-Rhyne on Sunday evening.  The Hawks move to 3-1 on the year with the victory while the Bears slide to 2-3 on the season with the loss. 

 led all players in the contest with 19 points for the Hawks.   chipped in 15 points while and  added 14 points and 13 points, respectively. 

Reed Lucas scored a team-high 17 points for Lenoir-Rhyne with JaQues Chambers adding 14 points in the setback.  Billy Bales and Darrion Evans each chipped in 12 points over the course of the game. 

Haskins opened the contest with a three-pointer to quickly put the Hawks on the board. After exchanging baskets early in the first half,  layup for Chowan at the13:13 mark left Lenoir-Rhyne trailing 16-9.  The Hawks maintained a 28-18 lead as late as the 8:39 mark before a bucket by Reed led to a 12-3 run for Lenoir-Rhyne, leaving Chowan clinging to a 31-30 advantage with 5:10 left to play.  Evans' three-pointer with 2:53 on the clock pushed the Bears ahead 35-34.  Lenoir-Rhyne battled to maintain control of the momentum and closed out the first half with a 39-38 edge. 

Chowan raced to a 48-42 lead at the start of the second half, but an 8-2 run by the Bears knotted the score 50-50 with 14:01 left to play.  Both teams fought to gain control down the final stretch of the second half.  With the scored tied 69-69, two free throws by  pushed Chowan ahead 71-69.  The score was tied once more (71-71) at the 1:27mark before Kuteyi's three-pointer handed the Hawks a 74-71 lead.  The Bears stayed close on Chowan's heels, but the Hawks held on to earn the 78-76 victory. 

The Hawks return to action on Wednesday, November 30th when Chowan plays host to the Apprentice School.  Tip-off is slated for 7:30pm in the Helms Center.