Cobras Grind Out Conference Victory Over Lions

MARS HILL, N.C. – The Coker College men's basketball team grinded out a 92-84 victory over the Mars Hill University Lions Saturday (Feb. 3) afternoon in South Atlantic Conference play. 

Early in the first half, the Cobras trailed 9-3 before stringing together seven consecutive points from a jumper and layup by Donte Samuels, followed by a three ball from Khalil Halls to take a 10-9 lead, capturing their first lead of the afternoon. Both squads continued to exchange points until the Cobras held a narrow 33-32 advantage with four minutes remaining in the half. 

Next, the Navy and Gold came up with a ten-point run to give themselves some breathing room. Coker headed into halftime with a 48-38 advantage over Mars Hill. 

During the second half, the Cobras continued to build momentum and went up by as many as 20 points with 15:17 remaining. Back-to-back three-pointers from Halls and Barrett gave Coker their largest lead of the afternoon. The Cobras managed to keep the Lions away from striking distance and held on for the 92-84 victory. 

Halls led the Navy and Gold in scoring, knocking down a team-high 22 points. Barrett record his first double-double of the season with 19 points and a team-best 10 rebounds. Larry Cooper collected 14 points, Samuels recorded 12 points, and Marquis Green knocked down 9 points coming off the bench. 

The Cobras will be back in action on Wednesday (Feb. 7) when they travel to Newberry to take on the Wolves in SAC play. Opening tip is set for 8 p.m.