Pippa Passes, KY: The Alice Lloyd College Eagles closed the first half on a 24-8 burst, and rode that momentum all the way to a convincing 94-75 victory over the visiting Berea College Mountaineers. The matchup at the Perry Campus Center on “Coach J” court took place November 9th
In the opening half, things started well for the NCAA DIII Mountaineers as they pulled out to a five-point cushion. The Pippa Passes squad would hang around, but sparked by guard Quae Charlton, BC would lead 28-20 with 8:57 remaining in the stanza.
From that point, the Eagles would respond. First, sophomore guards Cumecus Cates and Ben Soumahoro would combine for seven points in a 10-4 run that got the Eagles within a deuce (32-30).
Then, beginning at the 4:59 mark, on three consecutive possessions, junior guard Bryce Slone, Cates, then Slone once more, would drain 25-foot bombs (39-32). After a defensive stop, sophomore forward Damon Tobler capped off the 11-0 flurry with a power move to the hoop. The score now read 41-32 at the 3:38 mark. ALC would take a 44-36 advantage into the locker room at intermission.
In the second half, the Caney Creek crew would get the ball inside to burly junior forward Will Philpot and watch him go to work. He would score six points in the first seven minutes to spark a 16-9 run out of the gate, and give the Eagles a 60-45 cushion with 13:00 remaining in the contest. He would continue to dominate the rest of the way, as the Pippa Passes boys would not be denied. Alice Lloyd would extend their lead to as much as twenty points enroot to chalking up the impressive victory.
For the victors (2-0), four players would reach double digits. Philpot would lead the way with 22 points, 17 in the second half, on 9-13 FG. He also recorded his second consecutive double-double as he snagged a game-high 12 boards. He was followed in scoring by Cates who drained 4-7 from long range to finish with 16. Soumahoro added 14 points and grabbed 7 rebounds.
In addition, senior guard Noah Young and Tobler both reached double digits with 13 and 10 points respectively. Tobler added 6 rebounds, a game-high 2 steals and was joined by Young and junior center Colyn Sturgill with 3 assists each. Sturgill also swatted 5 shots.
Alice Lloyd shot 51.3% (39-76) from the floor, and 35% (7-20) from behind the arc. They finished 75%% (9-12) from the foul line. They also ruled the glass, grabbing 54 rebounds, while adding 17 assists, 5 steals, and 5 blocks.
Berea (1-1) was led by Charlton with 23 points. His squad shot 42% (29-69) from the floor, and 27.3% (6-22) from behind the arc. They finished 64.7%% (11-17) from the foul line, and also had 27 rebounds, 6 assists, and 6 steals.
The Eagles return to action this Friday when they travel to Virginia to face NCAA DII opponent Emory and Henry University. Tipoff is set for 5:30 pm.