LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN, Ga. -- The second unit was clutch for men's basketball on Saturday evening, as they came back to defeat Huntingdon, 96-90, at Barnes PE Center.

The lineup of Noah Pence, Isaac Rorey, Fisher Mitchell, Cole Carroll, and Jake Stephens was the deciding factor in the game, as that unit led a 23-6 run midway through the second half to give the Scots a huge boost. Pence was a star in that run, scoring all 14 of his points. 

Just like the night before, the Scots (8-13, 3-5 CCS) were down at the start, but were able to knot things at eight, thanks to five points from Logan Patterson. The Hawks (10-8, 4-2 CCS) responded, though, dropping 10 straight to go back up by eight.

The Scots again closed that gap, and the remainder of the half was close until the end, with the Scots going on a late 7-2 run to make it a four-point game at half.

In the early stages of the second half, the Hawks appeared to have the advantage, with the Scots struggling for answers offensively. After an 8-2 stretch by Huntingdon, Covenant found themselves down eight with 14:11 to play.

Then the second unit entered, and took center stage. 

Pence and Stephens started things with six combined free throws, and then Pence took the reins, tying the game at 66 with a triple. He would then add five straight to give the Scots an eight-point advantage.

The Hawks did not go away, though, and as the starters entered, Huntingdon had generated enough momentum to close it to one with 5:20 remaining.

The starters were up to the task, though, as Pierce Smith hit a jumper and four consecutive free throws to extend the lead out to seven, and then Korbin Long added a pair of free throws and a jumper of his own. Patterson would conclude the matter with an and-1 with 27 seconds to go to seal it.

Marcus Townsend had an excellent game for the Hawks, dropping 37 points and snatching 11 rebounds. Owen LaRocca contributed 19 on 6-of-17 shooting as well.

UP NEXT

The Scots prepare for an early week matchup with Maryville on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

CONNECT WITH THE SCOTS

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