Pippa Passes, KY: The Alice Lloyd College Eagles used an impressive 26-7 first half run over a five minute span to break open a tight game and defeat the Kentucky Christian University Knights 113-96 in a match-up played on Tuesday night at the Grady Nutt Athletic Center.
In the opening half, the visitors came out well and led 17-12 (13:01) following a bucket from guard Hayden Dunn. The Eagles battled back to tie things and the two squads then traded goals for a period of time. With 7:33 remaining, the Knights went ahead by three (31-28) after another triple, and seemed to be in good shape. At that point, ALC’s explosive offense took off.
Sparked by 14 points from sophomore guard Blake Smith, which included an impressive 180 degree backwards dunk that electrified the crowd, Alice Lloyd would close the half on a 33-10 run, and take a 61-41 lead at intermission.
In the second half, Alice Lloyd would extend their lead to as much as 30 points (79-49). KCU would battle hard until the final buzzer, but the Knights were never able to mount a series threat.
For the victors (2-0,) they saw six players reach double figures. They were led in scoring by senior center Jake Allen and freshman guard Timmy Dalton, who each pumped in 20 points.
They were joined in scoring by senior guard Austin Crisp with 16 points. With his sixth point of the night, Crisp also reached the 1,000 point milestone for his career. He also added a game-high 8 assists and 2 steals.
Smith had all 14 of his points in the first half while freshman guard Noah Young and junior guard Ryan House contributed 12 and 11 points respectively. Junior forward Simon Christon led the team with 10 rebounds
The Knights (1-3) were led by Dunn’s game-high 33 points.
ALC was hot from the floor, shooting 59.7% (46-77), and finished 35.3% (6-17) from behind the arc. They connected on 65.2% (15-23) from the foul line, and also added 48 rebounds, 19 assists, and 5 steals.
KCU finished shooting 40% (34-85) from the floor and was 28.6% (12-42) from behind the arc. They shot 80% (16-20) from the foul line, and also added 39 rebounds, 12 assists, and 9 steals.
Alice Lloyd returns home on Thursday when they face the Milligan College Buffaloes. Game time is set for 7:30pm.