Montreat, NC: On December 3rd, the Alice Lloyd Eagles traveled to face an athletic Montreat Cavalier squad that has been to two consecutive NAIA national tournaments. In a game of runs, the Eagles fell 88-78.
In the first half, the visiting club jumped ahead 10-5 during the first six minutes and looked solid. Unfortunately, the Eagles would experience serious foul trouble, which forced their entire front line to the bench and allowed the Cavaliers to roar back. Despite this, ALC hung around but trailed 38-32 at intermission.
In the second half, the Pippa Passes crew saw the hosts race out of the locker room and unleashed a 21-9 blitz in the less than seven minutes to control the game. Two free throws at 13:45 helped the lead reached its zenith, 59-41.
Fortunately, the Eagles refused to roll over. During the next seven minutes, ALC chipped away at the deficit. When senior guard Noah Young drained two charity tosses at 6:53, he capped off a stunning 27-9 spurt that tied the game at 68-68.
The two clubs went on to trade buckets over the next four minutes until MC went ahead 76-73 with 2:00 left. The Eagles found new life, courtesy of a steal by junior forward Will Philpot that led to a good look by junior guard Chandler Stewart from deep to tie the game. Unfortunately, the shot rimmed out, and the home club sealed the deal from the foul line.
For ALC (5-1), they were led on the night by Young and Stewart, each with 17 points. Philpot had a double-double as he added 11 points and 13 big rebounds. Young led the squad with 3 assists while 4 players each had 1 steal.
ALC connected on 40% (28-70) from the field and 26.1% (6-23) from long range. From the charity line, they sank 66.7% (16-24). Additionally, they registered 46 rebounds, 4 steals, and 10 assists.
The Cavaliers (3-3) were led by Ja Davis with 24 points. His club connected on 45.6% (26-57) from the field and 36.4% (8-22) from long range. From the foul line, they shot 70% (28-40). They also had 36 rebounds, 7 steals, and 10 assists.
After losing several games due to cancelations, the Eagles are currently scheduled to return to action on Saturday, December 12th when they play at conference foe Asbury University at 3 pm.