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Pippa Passes, KY: Junior forward Will Philpot scored off of an offensive rebound with 1.2 seconds remaining to lift the Alice Lloyd College Eagles to a thrilling 80-78 come-from-behind overtime victory over the Midway University Eagles Tuesday night. The River States Conference matchup was held at the Perry Campus Center.

In the first half, both teams came out cold as the defense was the rule of the day. The squads battled back and forth the entire twenty minutes as neither would establish a large lead. Eventually, sparked by several late buckets from leading scorer Donnie Miller, Midway would take a 34-28 advantage into intermission.

In the second half, the visitors would extend their lead to eleven (47-36) in the first five minutes before Eagle sophomore guard Ben Soumahoro would sink a few jumpers to spark his club on an 8-0 run (47-44). Later, with the score showing 51-46 at the ten-minute mark, MU would drain three consecutive bombs to blow the lead out to fourteen (60-46). The hometown Eagles appeared to be on the verge of collapse.

Senior guard Noah Young and Soumahoro would sink some key shots to help eat into the lead, but despite their best efforts, ALC still trailed 67-60 with just 2:23 remaining. Luckily for the fans in attendance, the Pippa Passes crew do not know the meaning of the word quit. On their next possession, Young would sink 1-2 charity tosses (67-61). Then after forcing a turnover, the home Eagles would see Philpot swish a trifecta (67-64).

Midway would get one point back on a free throw before Young swished two at 0.54 (68-66). Then after a great defensive possession, ALC would see Young find Soumahoro with a nice pass that led to a bucket and a foul. Suddenly, the game was tied (68-68) and the sophomore was at the line trying to give his club the lead. The free throw missed, but sophomore forward Damon Tobler corralled the offensive rebound giving the hosts a chance to win. The Eagles ran the ball down to the final second but Young’s shot bounced off, forcing overtime.

In the OT, the tension was unreal as each club traded hoops. Trailing 76-75 with 1:38 showing, junior guard Bryce Slone would drain a clutch long-range bomb to give Alice Lloyd the lead once more (78-76). MU would tie the score on two big free throws (78-78) with just .35 ticks left, setting up the final play of the game.

With the crowd on its feet, ALC ran the clock down looking for a good shot. The ball would end up in the hands of junior center Colyn Sturgill, who saw his short jumper roll off the rim at .03. However, Philpot was the man of the hour as he ripped down the errant shot and muscled in the soft bank with just 1.2 showing. (80-78). On the ensuing possession, Philpot would end the drama as he picked off the long pass, and the stunning comeback was complete.

For the victors (9-0; 3-0 RSC) Soumahoro would lead a balanced attack with 19 points. He added 7 rebounds. He was followed closely by Young, who added 16 points and 7 assists Slone finished with 13 points while Philpot, who came through big at crunch time, finished with 11 points, 16 rebounds, and 2 steals. Tobler and Sturgill each snagged 8 rebounds for the squad.

Alice Lloyd won despite shooting just 42.1 % (32-76) from the floor and 22.2% (4-18) from behind the arc. They finished at just 50% (12-24) from the foul line. They helped themselves by gaining 53 big rebounds and added 15 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block.

Midway (6-3; 1-2 RSC) was led by Miller with 27 points. His squad shot 42.9% (30-70) from the floor, and 25% (5-20) from behind the arc. They finished 72.2% (13-18) from the foul line, and also had 42 rebounds, 11 assists, and 10 steals.

The Eagles return to action for a Saturday home RSC contest with Oakland City University. Tip-off is set for 1:00 pm.

The athletics department has also announced a change to the upcoming schedule. The home conference game originally scheduled for Tuesday, December 7th with St. Mary of the Woods has now been moved to December 14th. Also, the game originally scheduled on December 14th at Campbellsville University Harrodsburg will now be played on December 7th at 7:00 pm. (The two games have now flipped dates).