LEBANON, Tenn. ---- The Life University men's basketball team nearly came back from a late double-digit deficit on the road, however fell to Cumberland University 83-82 in the Mid-South Conference matchup.  
 
NOTES
• Life U fell to 14-8 (4-2) on the year, while Cumberland improved to 9-7 (2-3).
 
STANDOUT PERFORMERS 
• Deven Dorsett led the Running Eagles with 24 points. He added four boards, and a steal.
• Cam Horton added 23 with seven boards, three steals, two assists and a block as he finished 7-for-9 from the floor. 
• Connor Gamble was the only other player to finish in double figures with ten points. 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED 
• Five minutes into the game, Life U held a seven-point lead, 17-10, over Cumberland after a jumper from Gamble.
• Life U held its largest lead of the game at the 14:04 mark with a layup from Ashmeade to put the Running Eagles up by nine, 19-10.
• Cumberland responded with a 10-0 run over the next four minutes to lead 20-19, however Life U quickly took back the lead 23-20 with a layup from Dorsett with 8:16 on the clock.
• With 2:36 left in the first half, a jumper from Dorsett put the Running Eagles ahead by four, 33-29. Cumberland responded with an 8-0 run to lead 37-33. Ferguson hit a deep three just before the buzzer to cut the lead to one as the Running Eagles trailed the Phoenix by one, 37-36 at the break. 
• Cumberland started the second half on a 13-2 run to lead by 12, 50-38, five minutes into the second half. The Phoenix led by as many as 16, 61-45, as the Running Eagles struggled to find any connectivity offensively.
• With 2:24 remaining in the game, Cumberland held a 75-66 lead. A quick 5-0 Life U run was finished with a pair of free-throws from Simpson to bring the game to within four.
• Cumberland finished the game 8-for-10 to secure the win, although Life U had a chance in the final moments. Dorsett connected on a three with under five seconds remaining to cut the lead to one, and a steal at half-court seconds later gave Life U the chance for the win. However, the half-court shot was unsuccessful as the Running Eagles fell to the Phoenix by a final score of 83-82.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
• Life U finished 28-for-69 from the field, 40.6%, while Cumberland shot 31-for-65, 47.7%. The Running Eagles finished 11-for-32, 34.4% from beyond the arc, as the Phoenix went 8-for-20, 40%.
• Life U held the advantage in turnover margin over Cumberland 17-9 as the Running Eagles scored 23 points off the turnovers.
• Life U shot 15-for-19, 78.9%, from the free-throw line as Cumberland finished 13-for-21, 61.9%. 
 
UP NEXT 
• The men's basketball team will return to action on Saturday, January 26, as they continue Mid-South Conference play and host Lindsey Wilson College at 4 PM in the Eagles' Nest.