CLEVELAND, Ga. – After being down 18 points in the second half, Life University (2-2) mounted a fourth quarter comeback to knock off Truett-McConnell (0-1) 60-54 on Friday.
"This was a hard-fought win tonight," Head Coach
Anthony Maxwell said. "We came out flat and missed shots from point blank range. We gave an amazing fourth quarter effort, coming back from being 18 down. We really showed some grit in this team. This was a very ugly game for us, but it is a win all the same and we'll take it."
Senior
Kennesha Nichols earned her third double-double of the season and paced the squad with 16 points and 10 rebounds, as well as three steals. Sophomore
Tierra Lindsey posted 10 points with six rebounds and three steals.
The opening quarter was a tighly contested and defense-heavy affair. After both teams traded points early, Life U took an 8-4 lead with 2:15 left in the period. However, the Bears battled back to tie the game at 10 all as the quarter expired.
TMU took the momentum from the closing moments of the first quarter and ran with them in the second, quickly running out to a double-digit lead. They took their largest lead of the half at 23-11 and again at 25-13. The Bears led 27-19 at the half.
Truett-McConnell did not lose their momentum in the intermission, and went back to work in the second half. They wasted no time going up 35-21, just three minutes into the half. They would continue their offense dominance, and push out to their largest lead of the half at 41-23 with 4:06 left in the quarter. However, the Running Eagles grinded and began to chip away at the lead. They managed to trim the deficit to 44-33 heading into the fourth quarter.
Life U continued the sink shots and quickly went to work cutting the lead more. With just under six minutes left in the game, they had managed to pull within two points at 46-44 and tied the game 51-51 with 4:07 remaining. The Running Eagles took their first lead since the first quarter with 3:40 left. They rallied all the way back and took the 60-54 victory.
Life U will be back in action on Monday, Nov. 6 as they travel to Sumter, S.C. to face off against Morris College.
