Playing their basketball season opener against potent Mount Olive, the Lenoir-Rhyne University men pulled out a plum.
The Bears, with D.J. Blackmon and Marcus Hodges combining for 39 points, won 74-69 Monday night at Shuford Gym.
They did it against a team that returned four starters from a Conference Carolinas champion.
"I'm glad we played them at home and not away," L-R head coach John Lentz said.
"I thought we played hard.
"For the most part I thought we played pretty good. We played defense a lot better the second half."
Blackmon and Hodges, the only returning starters from last season's South Atlantic Conference champions, led the L-R offense.
Blackmon, who had 21 points and a team-best eight rebounds, is expected to be a high scorer since Elliott McDowell and Josh Rudder are gone from the lineup.
"It opens up the court a little bit more," Blackmon said. "I'm going to have to work harder this year. I wasn't the focal point of the offense."
Hodges, who shot 81 percent from the foul line last season, made 9-of-10 free throws in the final three minutes and three seconds to keep Mount Olive at bay.
"We want the ball in his hands," Lentz said of the Bears' late-game strategy.
Mount Olive scored the first seven points of the night and led 17-8 after Kendrick Easley made a 3-point shot with almost six minutes gone in the second half.
L-R then ran off 12 straight points, all of them scored by three freshmen who had come off the bench.
"They know what they need to do," Blackmon said. "(Lentz has) brought in some talented freshman."
Spenser Sydney, Alex Watkins and Will Carpenter each made the first shot of his L-R career. Sydney hit a 3-pointer, Watkins followed with another 3-pointer and Carpenter made a 3-point play that gave the Bears the lead for the first time.
"I think the big key was we trusted everybody and they hit some shots," Lentz said.
L-R held its largest lead, 28-19, after Blackmon made a baseline jumper with 6:49 remaining in the first half.
The Trojans went back in front, 38-36, when Mike Holloman hit a 3-pointer for the first basket of the second half, but the Bears made their first four shots of the half to take the lead for good.
Mount Olive narrowed it to 61-59 when Holloman hit another 3-pointer, with 4:35 to play. Blackmon then rebounded to score, following up on a fast break, before Hodges began shooting free throws.
L-R led 72-69 when Mount Olive's Lamonte' Theus missed a 3-point try with six seconds to go. Hodges rebounded and hit his last two foul shots with 4.3 seconds left.
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