CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- The Covenant men's basketball team fell behind by 18 points at halftime and could not overcome the deficit as they fell to Hiwassee 65-53 in the NCCAA Mid-East Regional Tournament on Thursday night.

The loss eliminates the Scots from the tournament and ends their season at 14-12 overall. Hiwassee will move on and play top-seeded Mid-Continent (Ky.) on Friday night.

Rosbie Mutcherson and Colton McGriff each had 13 points for Covenant. Mutcherson had two 3-pointers and a pair of assists, while McGriff was 5-of-11 from the floor and grabbed seven rebounds. Chris Boyd chipped in 11 points and two blocks. Senior Sam Bowman pulled down a game-high 18 rebounds to go along with five points.

Hiwassee placed three players in doublefigures led by Cody Carson's 22 points, including 15-of-18 from the free-throw line. Justin Browner had 11 points and Joel Bailey added 10 points and six rebounds.

Hiwassee led 38-20 at halftime. In the second half, Covenant cut the deficit to 53-44 after a scoring run that involved a McGriff steal and dunk. But the Scots would not get closer than nine points the rest of the way and Hiwassee made enough free-throws down the stretch to secure the win.