MARIETTA, Ga. ---- The (RV) Life University men's basketball team held on to defeat Piedmont International University 64-60 in the opener for the 2019 Sock Fancy Classic at home Friday night.  
 
NOTES
• Life U improved to 6-0 on the year as PIU fell to 0-3.
 
STANDOUT PERFORMERS 
• Antwan Maxwell led all scorers on a double-double with 28 points and 13 rebounds. He added five blocks, a steal and an assist.
• Malik Burnett also finished in double figures with 12 points. He added six rebounds with four assists and a block.  
• Jordan Hernandez was the final Running Eagle to finish with double digits in a 12-point performance. He totaled eight rebounds with two assists. 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED 
• Life U led 7-0 early in the first half as five minutes through the Bruins were held scoreless.
• A three from Hernandez at the 11:38 mark put Life U ahead by seven, 14-7.
• A 7-0 run from Life U was finished in the paint from Maxwell with the assist from Ferguson to put the Running Eagles ahead 21-10 with just under six minutes remaining in the half. Life U went into the break ahead 31-18 with Burnett scoring the final bucket.
• Five minutes into the second half, PIU finished a 10-6 run with a basket in the paint to cut the deficit to single digits, 37-28.
• PIU brought the game to within one, 41-40, with a three from deep. Hernandez came down the court and answered back with a three of his own to extend the lead back to four. PIU took a late lead after another three with 6:11 on the clock, as the Running Eagles trailed 45-44.
• Gamble connected from deep to swing back the lead in Life U's favor, 47-45, but a pair of PIU free-throws and another three put the Bruins back in front 50-49.
• PIU regained a one-point advantage with 1:37 on the clock after another three, 59-58. Maxwell came in clutch responding with five points unanswered for Life U to put the Running Eagles ahead 63-59. Hernandez tallied the final basket from the line as Life U held on to win 64-60.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
• Life U finished 21-for-58 from the field, 36.2%, while PIU shot 18-for-56, 32.1%.
• Life U shot 16-for-20, 80%, from the free-throw line as PIU finished 15-for-24, 62.5%.
• Life U scored 12 points off the bench and finished 6-for-22 (27.3%) from beyond the arc. Life U also scored 26 points in the paint.
 
UP NEXT 
• The men's basketball team will return to action on Saturday, November 16, as they continue play in the 2019 Sock Fancy Classic at home. Life U will host Morris College at 4 PM in the Eagles' Nest.