Ian Lee
PIPPA PASSES: The Alice Lloyd College Eagles battled to the very end, eventually succumbing at the hands of the highly regarded Indiana University Southeast Grenadiers 87-80. The River States Conference game was played on Tuesday, January 29th.
In the opening half, the hosts would battle from the jump-ball as the two squads traded hoops. IUS guard Jamie Johnson would sink a jumper to give his squad a slight 21-19 lead at the midway point.
The talented Southeast club would slowly begin to extend the margin as they managed to creep out to a 33-26 advantage as the clock went below the five-minute mark.
At this point, the Eagles got an immense boost off the bench from guard Ian Lee. Lee entered the fray and promptly drained back-to-back trifectas to bring the Eagles within one (33-32). He would continue his onslaught by adding multiple free throws to the tally as well.
In large part, due to Lee’s 15-point first half explosion, Alice Lloyd would enter the dressing room at intermission clinging to a 42-41 advantage.
In the second half, the game remained a barnburner as the clubs traded hoops. With just 4:34 remaining, Eagle junior forward Chance Cornett swished a free throw to keep the Caney Creek club ahead, 72-70.
Unfortunately for the home team, IUS would respond with poise. Over the next three crucial minutes, they would roll out a 10-2 burst. With just 1:17 remaining, they now led 80-74. They would then seal the deal by going 7-8 from the charity line.
For ALC (10-14; 4-9 RSC), Lee played excellently. He finished a perfect 7-7 from the field (3-3 3PFG) and 4-4 from the charity stripe for 21 points. Junior Blake Smith, was right behind with 20 points while adding 8 rebounds and 2 steals. Cornett added 14 points and a team-high 9 boards.
Senior forward Simon Christon led the way with 6 assists while fellow senior Ryan House added 2 steals of his own.
Alice Lloyd shot a solid 52.5% (31-59) from the field, but just 25% (4-16) from long range. From the charity line, they sank only 58.3% (14-24). Additionally, they registered 34 rebounds, 12 assists, and 6 steals. They also hurt themselves immensely with 24 turnovers.
IUS (16-8; 9-4 RSC) was led by Johnson with 24 points. His club connected on 39.7% (27-68) from the field and 33.3% (10-30) from long range. They attempted 28 free throws, sinking 23 for a solid (82.1%) and also had 3 rebounds, 7 assists, and 9 steals. In addition, they only committed 13 turnovers.
The Eagles return to action on Saturday, February 2nd, for an important conference road matchup with the Brescia University Bearcats. Tipoff is set for 3:00 pm (CST) in Owensboro (KY).