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Blake Smith

PIPPA PASSES, KY: The Alice Lloyd College Eagles roared out to a 17 point lead in the opening half and held on to defeat the home-standing Midway University Eagles 93-88 on Tuesday, January 30.

In the first stanza, the two squads played evenly to open up the game and ALC led 22-19 with just over ten minutes remaining. However, sparked by sophomore guard Blake Smith, good teamwork, and hot-shooting, the visitors would explode. Over the next few minutes, the men from Caney Creek would go on a 17-3 run, and vault to a 39-22 advantage at the 6:30 mark. Alice Lloyd would take a 55-43 cushion into the dressing room at intermission on the strength of 62.5% field goal shooting.

Of course, it is never easy to win on the road in the conference. In the second half, sparked by the hot-hand from guard Bryson Harris, the hosts would roar back. Harris’s fourth three-pointer of the half capped a 28-12 flurry, and suddenly MU led 71-67 with 12:48 remaining.

Fortunately, for the visiting Eagle fans, ALC would respond once more. Over the next eight minutes, they would tighten up on the defensive end and go on a critical 20-8 burst. Two free throws from freshman guard Timmy Dalton made the score 87-79 with 4:07 showing and the visitors would sink their last 4 foul shots to keep the hosts at bay and earn the important victory

For ALC (13-9; 6-7 RSC), they were led by Smith with 24 points (8-15 FG), 6 assists, and 5 rebounds.  Dalton and senior center Jake Allen each had 15 points on a combined 11-18 field goals while senior guard Austin Crisp chipped in with 10 points, 2 steals, and 5 assists. Junior forward Simon Christon led the club with 9 boards and added 8 points.

The victors connected on 57.1% (32-56) from the field and 43.8% (7-16) from long range. They hit 66.7% (22-33) from the foul line and added 54 rebounds, 15 assists, and 4 steals.

MU (5-16; 2-11 RSC) was led by Harris with 30 points. His club connected on 45.6% (31-68) from the field including 43.8% (14-32) from long range. They hit 54.5% (12-22) from the foul line and added 29 rebounds, 22 assists, and 11 steals.

ALC returns home on Thursday, February 1, for an important conference showdown with Asbury University. Tipoff is set for 7:30 pm.