DALTON, Ga. — In one of the bigger regular-season victories in recent history, the Martin Methodist Men's Basketball team knocked off No. 3 Dalton State (Ga.), 71-70, Saturday afternoon at Mashburn Arena.

The contest was another tight one for the RedHawks (14-10, 7-7 SSAC), who won a second-straight one-score contest. The RedHawks knocked off Blue Mountain (Miss.), 108-106, in overtime on the road last Saturday.

The win was the highest-ranked squad vanquished by the RedHawks since they dispatched then-No. 4 Dalton State by a lopsided 84-58 margin on Feb. 9, 2017.

Junior forward Tomonique Marion led the RedHawk attack, notching a career-high 21 points in the victory. The 21 matched for the game high, alongside Dalton's Dauson Womack.

Marion made most of his afternoon's work at the free throw line where he was a perfect 9-of-9. As a team, the RedHawks finished the day at nearly 70 percent, going 20-of-29.

The contest was a back-and-forth affair, with the RedHawks leading 32-26 at halftime. The second half saw the RedHawks lose their lead, but they regained it over the game's final 10 minutes and slowly but surely kept Dalton State at bay.

The contest was won at the free throw line down the stretch as the RedHawks scored eight points in the last 1:11 of game time at the stripe.

Neither team shot particularly well from the floor, with both squads being held under 40 percent. But the RedHawks capitalized on 16 Dalton State turnovers en route to 17 points. The Redhawks also outscored the Roadrunners by a 32-18 margin in the paint.

The win marked the RedHawks first-ever win at Mashburn Arena, and just their third victory versus the Roadrunners all-time.

With the win, the RedHawks kept pace with a large chunk of the SSAC, which could see as many as five teams jumbled at 7-7 in league play.

The RedHawks still have four remaining contests in league play, beginning with their final two home games next week (Feb. 20 and Feb. 22).

The RedHawks will host Brewton-Parker (Ga.) on Thursday and celebrate Homecoming 2020 on Saturday versus Florida College.