Grayson, KY: The Alice Lloyd Eagles opened up 2020 by falling to the homestanding Kentucky Christian University Knights 89-78. The final non-conference matchup of the season was played on Thursday night, January 2nd.
In the opening half, the game stayed tight as neither team was able to burn the nets on offense. Due to a solid defensive effort, ALC hung tough despite shooting just 28% from the floor. However, a couple of late threes from the hosts lifted them to a 37-29 advantage at intermission.
In the second half, both squads picked up their offensive output. The Knights fought to maintain their cushion as Alice Lloyd would slice the deficit to a one-possession game on multiple occasions. Unfortunately, each time this occurred, KCU responded with a big bucket to extend their margin once more.
Finally, a late-game flurry by the home club allowed them to break away for the victory
For ALC (7-8), senior guard Blake Smith led the way with 34 points. He connected on 10-22 field goals (3-4 threes) and 11-14 from the charity stripe. He added 6 rebounds. The only other Eagle to hit double digits was fellow senior Ian Lee, with 12. Junior guard Noah Young was right behind with 9 points and led the way with 5 assists. Sophomore forward Will Philpot added 8 points and led in rebounds with 8. Three different players each had 1 steal.
Alice Lloyd connected on 38.6% (27-70) from the field, and 42.9% (9-21) from long range. From the charity line, they sank 71.4% (15-21). Additionally, they registered 34 rebounds, 3 steals, and 11 assists.
Kentucky Christian (4-13) was led by second-semester transfer guard Kobe Brown with 25 points. His club connected on 47.1% (33-70) from the field and a solid 45.2% (14-31) from long range. From the foul line, they shot 60% (9-15). They also had 46 rebounds, 2 steals, and 18 assists.
The Eagles return back to action next Tuesday, January 7th when they travel to Ohio Christian University for an important conference showdown at 7:30 pm.