Wilmore, KY: Sophomore forward Damon Tobler provided a big double-double to lift the visiting Alice Lloyd Eagles to a high-scoring 93-85 victory over NCAA DIII Asbury University. The battle between Eagles was played Wednesday night.
In the first 4:53 of the opening half, the host Eagles came out on fire. Sparked by center Nick Fort, Asbury led 18-9. However, ALC would respond with a 17-7 burst of their own to take a 26-25 lead at 11:29. Over the course of the half, the one-two punch of Tobler and sophomore guard Cumecus Cates would combine for 24 points, and help the Pippa Passes crew take a 46-42 advantage into the locker room at intermission. In the second half, the visiting Eagles saw Tobler score 12 consecutive points over a five-minute stretch. His final bucket would allow his squad to take their largest lead of the night (74-61) with 11:17 remaining.
The Wilmore club refused to roll over and came back to tie the score at 78 with just over six minutes remaining. Fortunately, for the Caney club, Cates drilled back-to-back threes to give his squad a lead they would not relinquish. Senior guard Noah Young then sank 4-4 free throws to close out the big road victory.
For ALC (14-0), three players reached double figures. They were led on the night by Tobler with a game-high 26 points (11-13FG). He added 11 rebounds to complete the double-double. Cates drilled 5-11 bombs and scored 19 points while Young tossed in 17 points and dished out 5 assists.
Alice Lloyd connected on 47.9% (35-73) from the field, and 47.4% (9-19) from long range. From the charity line, they sank 82.4% (14-17). Additionally, they registered 44 rebounds, 2 steals, and 11 assists.
Asbury (5-6) was led by Fort with 26 points. His club connected on 46.4% (32-69) from the field and 31.4% (11-35) from long range. From the foul line, they shot 55.6% (10-18). They also had 33 rebounds, 5 steals, and 13 assists.
The Eagles are currently scheduled to return to action on Friday, December 31st when they travel to Richmond to play NCAA Sunbelt Conference opponent, Eastern Kentucky University, in the final exhibition match of the season. Tipoff is set for 3:00 pm. They then open the 2022 portion of the schedule when they return home to face Asbury in a rematch on January 6th.