Wilmore, KY: The Alice Lloyd Eagles made an impressive comeback attempt before falling to home-standing Asbury University with a score of 98-90. The conference match-up was played on Saturday night, January 18th.
In the opening half, the visiting Eagles came out well. Behind the play of senior guard Blake Smith and sophomore forward Will Phillpot, their club took a solid 23-15 advantage. However, the home team would close the half on a big 30-17 run and take a 45-40 lead at intermission. In the second half, Asbury steadily began to pull ahead and would hold a solid 73-58 cushion at the midway point. With the crowd against them, and on the verge of getting ran out of the gym, ALC responded in a huge way. The Caney Creek men clawed their way back into contention, and had an opportunity to cut the lead to just four with ample time remaining. Unfortunately, the visiting Eagles missed two free throws.
Despite a spirited effort, the guests would never get closer than five the remainder of the night. For ALC (9-10; 3-4 RSC), Smith continued his impressive play as he led all scorers with 33 points. He sank 10-23 from the floor and 13-13 from the free throw line. He added 3 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 assist. Phillpot sank 6-8 attempts to finish with 15 points and added 17 huge rebounds, which tied his career high. Junior guard Noah Young added 12 points and had 3 assists.
Alice Lloyd Eagles connected on 47.5% (29-61) from the field, and 29.4% (5-17) from long range. From the foul line, they sank 79.4 (27-34). Additionally, they registered 38 rebounds,4 steals, and 8 assists. Asbury (7-13; 1-6 RSC) was led by Jamiel Goliday with 24 points. His club connected on 49.2% (30-61) from the field and 46.2% (12-26) from long range. From the foul line, they shot 66.7% (26-39). They also had 30 rebounds, 5 steals, and 15 assists.
The Eagles return back to action Tuesday, January 21st when they return home and face defending conference champions West Virginia Tech University for an important conference showdown at 7:30pm.