MARIETTA, Ga. – Life University (9-11, 1-6 MSC) earned their first-ever Mid-South Conference win in a 72-51 rout of the University of the Cumberlands (13-8, 2-6 MSC) on Thursday night.
 
"Yes!" said Head Coach Anthony Maxwell. "I'm so happy for this team, and proud of the way we played tonight to get our first Mid-South Conference win. We had good balanced scoring, rebounded aggressively, and took care of the ball. Hopefully, we can ride this wave and gain momentum and confidence moving forward."
 
Four Running Eagles finished in double digits in the win. Senior Kennesha Nichols paced the squad with a double-double of 17 points and 11 rebounds as well as a steal. Sophomore Lucy Stone put up 13 points with three rebounds, five steals and two assists. Both sophomores Tierra Lindsey and Shikiya Brown contributed 10 points, with Lindsey adding eight rebounds, two steals and an assist and Brown adding three assists and two steals.
 
In a game that was a tale of two halves, the first two periods were tightly contested. The first quarter saw six lead changes and four ties, able to gain more than a two-point advantage. Heading into the final 10 minutes of the half, both were locked in a 12-12 tie. However, in the second quarter the Running Eagles were able to start to put some distance between themselves and the Patriots. They were able to push out to a five-point lead, their largest of the half, just under three minutes into the period. That didn't last long, as both team battled and traded the lead for the remainder of the half. Life U managed to take a 30-28 advantage into the break.
 
After the intermission, the Running Eagles slowly began to assert their dominance over UC and took advantage of the Patriot's mistakes. Life U took its first double digit lead of the game with just over a minute and a half left in the third quarter at 46-35. They took a 50-38 lead into the final 10 minutes. In the fourth quarter, the Running Eagles put the game away opening on a 10-2 run and going up 60-40. They went up by their largest margin at 68-45 and eventually took a 72-51 victory.
 
Life U will close out the three-game homestand on Saturday, Feb. 3 as they welcome Faulkner University.