SPARTANBURG, S.C. | The Young Harris College men's basketball team dropped a road conference matchup Wednesday evening, falling to Converse 83-74 inside Tom & Tracy Hannah Gym. The Mountain Lions move to 20-8 overall and 16-4 in Conference Carolinas.

Young Harris stayed within striking distance throughout the first half, trailing by just one at the break (37-36). Converse created separation in the second half behind efficient perimeter shooting and strong free-throw shooting to secure the nine-point victory.

Carl Cleveland delivered a standout performance, scoring a game-high 31 points on 11-of-18 shooting while adding five rebounds. Justin Payne finished with 12 points and six rebounds, while Jalen Ware recorded 10 points and a team-high eight rebounds off the bench.

Kelvin Hunter added seven points, and Cameron Bleshoy contributed four points in limited minutes as Young Harris scored 46 points in the paint and shot 45.9 percent from the field.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

• Carl Cleveland: 31 points, 5 rebounds (11-18 FG, 8-11 FT)

• Justin Payne: 12 points, 6 rebounds

• Jalen Ware: 10 points, 8 rebounds

• Kelvin Hunter: 7 points

• Bench points: 23

• YH outscored Converse in points in the paint, 46-22

• Converse shot 47.1% from the field, while the Mountain Lions shot 45.9%

UP NEXT:
The Mountain Lions will look to bounce back as the Conference Carolinas Championshp awaits Young Harris.