MONTGOMERY, Ala. – After leading for a majority of the game, Life University (0-1) fell just short against Talladega (2-0) in its first action of the regular season.
 
A second half comeback led the Tornadoes to a 75-70 win over the Running Eagles in the Jimmy Faulkner Classic on Friday.

"We lost a close game down the stretch to a really tough Talladega team," Head Coach Anthony Maxwell said. "Defensive breakdowns and missed free throws really hurt us at the end. I was really pleased with the overall effort, and think we really played well for about 35 minutes."
 
Four Running Eagles logged double digit points in the loss. Both senior Kennesha Nichols and sophomore Tierra Lindsey paced the squad with 19 points apiece. Nichols added seven rebounds, three assist, four steals and an assist as well as going 2-for-5 from 3-point range and knocking down one of her two free throws. Lindsey logged six rebounds, an assist, a block and a steal in addition to draining five of her eight free throws. Both sophomores Lucy Stone and Shikiya Brown contributed 11 points apiece.
 
The opening quarter of the game was a back-and-forth affair that featured six lead changes and two ties. Nichols got things going with the game's first goal on a pass from junior Sydney Garnigan. Neither team was able to get more than a single possession lead, but a 6-0 run to close out the quarter gave Life U a 22-17 lead.
 
The Running Eagles carried the momentum over into the second quarter and never trailed for the remainder of the half. Life U ran out to a 28-20 lead with 6:44 left, but Talladega fought back and cut it to within four points multiple times. A five-point run in the final 20 seconds of the half gave Life U a 41-32 lead at the break.
 
The Tornadoes came out for the second half shooting lights out and trimmed the Running Eagles' lead to 41-38 just three minutes into the half. Life U answered back with a 3-pointer from Stone and a five points from Nichols to push back out to 49-42 lead. Talladega kept fighting an eventually tied the game at 52-52 with 2:17 left in the quarter. However, a Nichols free throw put them down 53-52 headed to the fourth.
 
The Tornadoes took their first lead since the first quarter on a field goal just four seconds into the final quarter to take a 54-53 lead. For that moment, they never trailed again. Life U was able to tie it one final time at 60-60 on a 3-pointer from Shikiya Brown. Talladega regained the lead on the next possession and proceed to run the deficit up to 75-67 at its greatest. Another long range shot from Brown found the bottom of the net as time expired, but the Running Eagles fell 75-70.
 
Life U is back in action again tomorrow in the Jimmy Faulkner Classic as they face off against host Faulkner.