For immediate release – 1/4/2015 - #209
Hornets drop Consolation to Immaculata 62-58

LANCASTER, PA – The Lynchburg College men's basketball team fell in the consolation game of the Sponaugle Tournament to Immaculata College 62-58 on Sunday. 

It was the second-straight back and forth affair for the Hornets, in a game which featured six lead changes and four ties.

Both teams exchanged baskets in the first ten minutes of the game, with neither team establishing a lead larger than three.  With 10:30 left in the half, Austen Arnold tied the score at 12 apiece with his third layup of the game.  At 9:21, Ron Melton converted his layup to give the Mighty Macs the lead which they held onto for the next 25 minutes of the contest.  IC extended its advantage to six before the end of the half, with the final field goal coming from Joshua Smith with 1:03 left to put the score at 32-26.

The second stanza went similar to the first as the Hornets shortened the Immaculata lead after scoring six points in the first 1:30.  Melton responded with five points of his own, and along with a free throw by Mamadou Diakite, the lead stayed at six. It would stay in the same vicinity until 4:21 when A.J. Hamilton made one of two from the charity strip to tie the score at 52.  Alex Graves made a layup 40 seconds later to give LC the lead.

Immaculata tied the game at 2:29 after a pair of free throws from Rodney Duncan, however Lyndon White helped the Hornets retake the lead four seconds later after making one of his free throw attempts. 

At 1:55, Roy Ferrell Jr. made a jump shot for the Mighty Macs, which gave them the lead for good, as they converted three free throws and one shot from behind the arc to seal the game.

Melton led Immaculata (5-5 overall) scoring 15 points in the game, with Duncan chipping in 11.  While the Hornets outshot the Mighty Macs from the free throw line, both in makes (18-10) and percentage (78.3-50), IC reversed the stat in terms of three-point field goals (8-2, 33.3-18.2).

Graves led LC with 15 points and six rebounds, while Arnold added 13 points and six rebounds while being named to the All-Tournament team.

Lynchburg (8-3) returns to conference play on Wednesday night.  The Hornets take on the eighth-ranked Virginia Wesleyan Marlins in Turner Gymnasium.  LC's second game against a top-ten opponent in less than a week begins at 7 p.m.

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