MARIETTA, Ga. – Senior Zach Landis entered rarified air on Saturday as he joined the prestigious 1,000-point club with his 11-point game for 1,008 career points in No. 21 Life University's (20-10, 8-6 MSC) 88-74 win over Shawnee State (14-16, 4-10 MSC) in the regular season finale.
 
"This was a big win for us for a number of reasons," Head Coach Keith Adkins said. "For the first time in a while, we got off to a really good start. I thought our guys really understood the importance of getting this one. Within our team, we talk a lot about playing with urgency and desperation, especially this time of year. I think we did that today. I am so happy for the seniors to go out with a win and, ironically, they were all in double figures today, and all five played well."
 
All five seniors finished in double figures on Senior Day. Ivan Benkovic paced the squad with 20 points as well as seven rebounds and two assists. Michael Miller put up 18 points with six assists, two rebounds, a block and a steal. Undra Mitchem posted a double-double of 17 points and 12 rebounds. Jay Johnson logged 15 points with two rebounds, two assists and a steal. In addition to his 11 points, Landis added six rebounds, five steals and three assists.
 
From the opening tip, this game was never in doubt for Life U. They opened on a 11-4 run and never looked back. The Running Eagles went up by double digits at 21-11 with just over 13 minutes left in the half. They took their largest lead of the half at 37-17 and eventually took a 43-32 lead into the break.
 
After the intermission, Life U continued to impose their will on the Bears. However, SSU managed to trim the lead to 54-46 at its closest, just over six minutes into the period. The Running Eagles would rebound and eventually cruised to an 88-74 victory.
 
Life U will now focus their attention on the Mid-South Conference Tournament in Pikeville, Ky. The Running Eagles will begin the defense of their 2017 tournament title against Campbellsville University on Friday, March 2.