ROME, Ga. | It's tough to win a basketball game when the opposition shoots 58% from three-point range and the Mountain Lions found that to be true tonight. In the midst of the loss, it was still a record-breaking night for Mountain Lion forward Carl Cleveland. He became the school's all-time leading scorer with 2,007 points, also becoming the first Mountain Lion to ever reach the 2,000-point mark. 

It was an unfortunate loss for the Mountain Lions who quite frankly dominated in several key statistics such as points in the paint, points off turnovers, offensive rebounds, fastbreak points, and second chance points. However, it will always be tough to overcome any opponent shooting 58% from three, especially on the road. The Mountain Lions had five players play at least 30 minutes tonight and are amid a crucial road trip that includes four games within an eight-day span. The mental toughness of the Mountain Lions will really be tested over the next week or so with a tough start to the stretch and the players playing on shorter rest than normal. 

The Mountain Lions move to 11-6 overall and are 7-2 in Conference Carolinas. The Hawks move to 7-9 overall and are 5-5 in Conference Carolinas.  

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

• Cleveland finished with 30 points on 10/20 from the field and 4/5 from downtown. 

• Justin Payne scored a season-high 26 points on 11/22 from the field.  

• Cam Bleshoy came away with a double-double chipping in 10 points and pulling down 11 rebounds. 

• A bright spot for the Mountain Lions was their 13 offensive rebounds which they were able to convert into an impressive 20 second chance points. 

• YH was also able to outscore SU 44-26 in points in the paint. 

• Shorter was led by four different players who scored at least 17 points. Those four combined for 13 of the 14 made threes for the Hawks. 

UP NEXT:

The Mountain Lions hit the road again on Wednesday, January 21st to take on the King Tornado at 7:30 PM. 

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