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ALC junior guard Blake Smith
Blake Smith

Kokomo, IN: The Alice Lloyd College Eagles journeyed to Kokomo, Indiana to face the Western Division leading, and 24th ranked, IU Kokomo Cougars on Saturday, February 9th.  The River States Conference game was won by the hosts, 105-69.

Since suffering an 86-77 defeat to the Eagles in December, the Cougars have been one of the league’s hottest teams. In the opening half, the hosts came out prepared to play.

Behind the shooting of guard Akil McClain, IUK roared out of the gates on a 24-8 run.  In the meantime, the Eagles were ice cold.  As the half continued, the home club was able to build upon their advantage.

When you combine a blazing 67% field goal accuracy by the Indiana club, coupled with just 29% accuracy from the visitors, Kokomo was able to go into intermission sporting a commanding 57-33 advantage.

In the second half, the hometown squad refused to give Alice Lloyd any hopes of a comeback as they never allowed their lead go below twenty points.  Over the final stanza, they would slowly build upon their advantage until the final buzzer sounded.

For ALC (11-16; 5-11 RSC) junior guard Blake Smith led the way, as he sank 10-21 field goals to finish with 22 points. He also led the club with 7 rebounds and 3 steals. Fellow junior, forward Chance Cornett was the only other player to strike double figures, as he added 13 points and chipped in with 6 rebounds.

Senior forward Simon Christon led the team with 3 assists. Freshman guard Chandler Stewart tied Smith with 3 steals while classmate Colyn Sturgill swatted 2 shots.

Alice Lloyd was ice cold from the floor. Despite Smith’s solid percentage, they only sank 31.7% (26-82) from the field and 27.3 % (6-22) from long range. From the charity line, they drained 69.2% (9-13). Additionally, they registered 42 rebounds, 8 steals, 8 assists, and 4 blocks.

 Kokomo (22-5; 12-4 RSC), was led by McClain, who sank 10-11 field goals for 27 points. His club touched the nylons at a 53% clip (35-65). They also connected on 39.1% (9-23) from long range, and 70.3% (26-37) from the charity stripe. They also added 50 rebounds, 4 steals, and 11 assists.

The Eagles close out the regular season next week. They return to conference action on Tuesday when they host the Midway College Eagles at 7:30 pm. They will then journey to Asbury for a conference match on Thursday against the Eagles at 7:30 pm. Finally, they will hold Senior Day on Saturday, February 16th in a non-conference tilt with Kentucky Christian University at 3:00 pm.