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Richmond, IN: The Alice Lloyd Eagles made a furious comeback attempt but eventually faltered at the hands of the homestanding and highly regarded Indiana University-East Red Wolves 86-78. The conference matchup of the season was played on Saturday night, January 11th.

In the opening half, nothing went right for the Eagles as they came out cold. IUE led start to finish and took a solid 38-25 advantage at intermission.

In the second half, the Red Wolves saw their leading scorer Bishop Smith drill three trifectas to lift his team to a commanding lead. In the meantime, the Eagles their starting point guard Noah Young leave the contest with an ankle injury and their leading scorer Blake Smith leave the game with a busted nose. With just over twelve minutes remaining, East was in complete control, 64-36.

With their backs against the wall, and on the verge of getting run out of the gym, ALC responded in a huge way. Displaying a fierce determination, the Eagles refused to quit and begin to slice into the deficit.  Alice Lloyd would chip into the lead as the stunned East fans saw their squad battle to hang on. The men from Caney Creek would actually get within 8 points late, but they ran out of time before the buzzer sounded.

 For ALC (8-9; 2-3 RSC), Smith returned to the fray to spark his club and lead all scorers with 28 points. He added 5 rebounds. Fellow senior guard Ian Lee also finished in double figures as he knocked down 17 points. Sophomore forward Will Phillpot added 6 points and led in rebounds with 12 while classmate Colyn Sturgill added 6 points and grabbed 10 caroms of his own. Sophomore guard Chandler Stewart dished out 4 assists and joined Smith and freshman guard Tanner Perdue with 2 steals apiece.

Alice Lloyd connected on 41.3% (31-75) from the field, and 42.9% (6-14) from long range. From the charity line, they hurt themselves, shooting just 43.5 (10-23). Additionally, they registered 45 rebounds, 9 steals, and 13 assists.

East Division-leading IU East (11-8; 5-0) was led by Bishop Smith with 27 points. His club connected on 47.5% (29-61) from the field and 35.7% (5-14) from long range. From the foul line, they earned the game, going 79.3% (23-29). They also had 39 rebounds, 11 steals, and 20 assists.

The Eagles return back to action Tuesday, January 14th when they finally return home and face Midway University for an important conference showdown at 7:30 pm.