Pippa Passes, KY: A cold-shooting second half proved costly as the Indiana University Southeast Grenadiers knocked off the Alice Lloyd College Eagles, 82-70. The River States Conference battle was held Tuesday, February 1st at the Perry Campus Center.
In the first half, the two clubs would battle it out as neither could gain the upper hand. Both squads played stingy defense as points proved hard to come by.
Eventually, after junior forward Will Philpot soared for a powerful dunk at 3:53, the hosts led 29-25. However, ALC would then miss two opportunities to increase the lead, and IUS was able to seize the opportunity and close the half on a 9-3 spurt. This enabled the Hoosier squad to take a 34-31 advantage into the locker room at intermission.
In the second half, the visiting Grenadiers would refuse to go away quietly. ALC went uncharacteristically cold from the floor which allowed their foes to hold their lead. It seemed that each time the Pippa Passes club would get within 4 points, IUS would manage to find an answer.
Unfortunately, on this night, as the clock wound down, there was no patented Eagle comeback in the works. The visitors managed to hold on for the upset conference win.
For ALC (20-2; 11-1 RSC), three players reached double figures. They were led on the night by Philpot (8-13FG), who finished with a game-high 21 points and a game-high 12 boards to complete the double-double. He also had 2 blocks. Senior guard Noah Young (7-12 FG; 3-3 3FG) added 19 points and led the way with 6 assists while sophomore forward Damon Tobler added 12 points and 7 rebounds. Sophomore guard Ben Soumahoro contributed 8 points and 8 rebounds, while junior guard Bryce Slone chipped in with 8 points of his own.
Alice Lloyd connected on 40% (22-55) from the field, and 46.7% (7-15) from long range. From the charity line, they sank 70.4% (19-27). Additionally, they registered 41 rebounds, 3 steals, and 13 assists.
IUS (10-14; 7-5 RSC) was led by Anthony Wales Jr. with 20 points. His club connected on 46.9% (30-64) from the field and 37% (10-27) from long range. From the foul line, they shot 66.7% (12-18). They also had 34 rebounds, 8 steals, and 18 assists.
The Eagles return to action on Saturday, February 5th for a huge-conference home game against Indiana University Kokomo at 1:00 pm. Each squad has only one loss in the division, so the contest has major implications on seeding.