Mars Hill, N.C.----The Mars Hill University Lions outscored #22 Wingate University 15-0 in the second half Thursday night, rallying for a 15-10 victory in NCAA Division II football action. The Lions move to 1-0 on the year, while the Bulldogs fall to 1-1 overall.

KEY STATS

- Mars Hill had 153 rushing yards and 142 passing yards for 295 total yards of offense
- Wingate had 202 passing yards and 62 rushing yards for 264 total yards
- The Lions had two of the three turnovers
- Each team had 17 first downs
- MHU was two-for-nine on third downs; WU went two-for-11

KEY BULLDOGS

- Noah Bell threw for 179 yards on 16 completions, adding a rushing touchdown
- Alex Wilson ran for 49 yards on seven carries
- Evan McCray had seven receptions for 65 yards
- Trevor Grant and Damian Sutton added two catches apiece for 31 and 30 yards, respectively
- Corey Siemer contributed 30 receiving yards and 22 rushing yards
- Jaquan Edwards led the Bulldogs with seven tackles, adding an interception
- Darius Randolph and Marquise Fleming each added a sack
- Daniel Morrison had a pair of tackles for loss
- Marquez Baxter had a forced fumble; Jaheim Mullen notched a fumble recovery
- Mason Suber averaged 37.3 yards per punt on six punts
- Caleb Bonesteel nailed a 20-yard field goal, adding a PAT

SECOND QUARTER

- After a scoreless first frame, Wingate scored 10 points in the second quarter
- Baxter forced a fumble that Mullen recovered at the WU 26 to give the 'Dogs the ball
- The Bulldogs went 74 yards on seven plays to get on the board
- Wilson's 33-yard run got Wingate to the MHU 26 yard line
- Brooks Bentley hit Carlos Estranza for a 12-yard connection to set WU up at the 14
- Bentley hooked up with McCray for 11 yards to set up a first and goal from the three
- Bell punched it in from three yards out to give the Bulldogs a 7-0 lead
- Edwards picked off a Mars Hill pass and returned it to the WU 40 with four minutes left
- Bell hit Sutton for 20 yards to set up a first and 10 from the MHU 34
- Bell hit Matt Flanders for 25 yards to make it first and goal from the nine
- Bonesteel nailed a 20-yard field goal to make it 10-0 at halftime

THIRD QUARTER

- Lon Teachey hit a 41-yard field goal to make it 10-3 with 10:37 to go

FOURTH QUARTER

- On fourth and six, JR Martin hit Beau DeBerry for a 10-yard touchdown to make it 10-9
- Bell's 17-yard connection to Trevor Grant, along with a Siemer four-yard run set WU up with a first and 10 at the MHU 40 with under seven minutes left
- Mars Hill forced a fumble on the next play, with Tristan Rankin picking it up and going 55 yards for the score to put the Lions on top
- Wingate got the ball to the Mars Hill 48 before turning it over on downs with 3:23 to go
- The Bulldogs forced a three-and-out and got it back with 1:26 remaining
- Connections to Sutton and McCray got it to the WU 40
- The 'Dogs turned it over on downs with 44 seconds to go

UP NEXT

- Wingate is back in action next Saturday, hosting Tusculum at 6 p.m.