HARTSVILLE, S.C. – The Coker College men's basketball team fell to the visiting Lenoir-Rhyne University Bears 78-67 in Wednesday night (Feb. 10) South Atlantic Conference action. 

The Bears jumped out to a 12-6 advantage in the first six and half minutes, however the Cobras responded with a 10-2 over the next four and half minutes to take a 16-14 lead with nine minutes left in the opening 20 minutes. After a Lenoir-Rhyne made three-pointer, the Navy and Gold proceeded to outscore the opposition 22-14 to close out the half, propelling them to a 38-31 lead.

Lenoir-Rhyne came out of the locker rooms on fire to start the second half, not missing a field goal until five minutes into the half, going 5-5 from the field during that stretch. They would continue the stellar shooting, turning a seven-point deficit into a seven-point lead in just seven minutes. A quick 7-0 run capped off by an Aubrey Daniel made three knotted things up at 52-52 with 10:38 left in the second half. The sharp shooting of Lenoir-Rhyne continued, reeling off an 11-2 run over the next two minutes to take a nine-point lead. The Cobras would cut the deficit to four, but could not get any closer, with the Bears taking home the eventual 78-67 victory.

Jake Barrett finished with a career-high 19 points, 15 of which came from downtown, to go along with six rebounds. Donte Samuels finished with 14 points, while Daniel chipped in nine points. The trio of Jalal Abdul-Azeez, JaQuez Motley and Larry Cooper rounded things out with seven points apiece.

The Cobras will be in action on Saturday (Feb. 13) when they travel to Tusculum to take on the Pioneers in a SAC matchup. Tip is set for 4 p.m.

McDonald's Player of the Game – Jake Barrett