ROME, Ga. – The Berry College men's basketball defeated the Rust College Bearcats on Saturday 66-57. BC  improved to 3-3 and Rust fell to 2-5.

Berry's freshmen especially played well. Nick Marder led BC with 18 points, making 8-10 free throws. Lukas Korn and Caleb Johnson also netted 13 points each. Logan Thigpen grabbed 6 rebounds for the Vikings.

The Vikings trailed 32-29 at halftime. For the game, BC shot 44-percent (22-50) to the Bearcats' 37% (23-61).

"This game was important for our guys because they had to learn how to win a game with toughness," said Berry Head Coach Jeff Rogers. "Rust is a good team and are bigger, stronger and more athletic than we are. I was proud of how our guys kept working hard and found a way to win."

Frederick Fairman earned 17 points for the Bearcats.

The Vikings next play at Oglethorpe on Thursday at 8 p.m.