Life University Athletics

MARIETTA, Ga. ---- The women's basketball team kept things interesting versus Pikeville, but tired legs down the stretch saw the team come up short 93-85 Monday night in the Eagle's Nest.
 
NOTES
• Life U falls to 2-7 (0-6) on the year, while Pikeville improved to 9-4 (5-4).
• The team played the game shorthanded, but high energy play and a career game from Syndi Tears kept the team in contention the entire way through.

STANDOUT PERFORMERS 
• Syndi Tears put together one of the best games of her career in the losing effort, scoring a career high with a 44 point 10 rebound double-double.
•  In mid-year enrollee, Nyelle Lee's, first game of her Life U career, she posted a solid outing. The freshman scored 20 points to go with her five boards and three assists.
• Cheyenne Daphney had another great performance in her senior season, putting together a double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds.

HOW IT HAPPENED 
• The first quarter was all about energy, and that is something that the Running Eagles-- compared to Pikeville-- had in spades. Life U's first score of the game doubled as the first score of Lee's collegiate career. The team trailed Pikeville for the first couple of minutes, but a pair of free-throws followed by coast-to-coast steal and layup by Tears gave Life U a lead, 13-9, they would hold through the rest of the half.
• Lee slashed into the lane following the first media timeout of the game, laying in a pretty shot for the 22-14 lead at 3:35. Daphne got in on the fun when Tears dished her a ball outside the arc which she drained to place the lead at 27-19. As time expired in the first quarter, Tears hit a fade away short-range jumper to push to a two-digit, 32-22, lead.
• Momentum shifted somewhat in the second frame of play as the team being short-handed started to show. The lead sat at 38-33 after Lee whipped a pass to Tears in traffic which she converted into a bucket down low. The Bears pulled within one at 44-43 as time was running low in the half, but Tears hit her second buzzer beater in as many quarters to extend the Life U lead to 46-43 headed into the break.
•With just over a minute and a half having passed in the third, Tears got a shot off over a host of Pikeville defenders for a 48-43 lead, but it was the last bucket made by the team for nearly five minutes. The Bears took the lead over the scoreless span, holding a double-digit lead by its end. The teams went into the final period of play with Pikeville owning a 70-58 lead.
• Life came back alive in the final frame of play, despite ending the game with only three players on court due to fouling out, but the team was unable to make up for third quarter's lack of scoring. Lee splashed in a pull-up three with 18.7 seconds left in play to cut the lead to 90-85, but the Running Eagles' were unable to finish the comeback, falling 93-85.
 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
• Life U shot at a high clip from the field, finishing at 35-for-72, 48.6%, while the Bears shot 36-for-85, 42.4%. The Running Eagles finished 6-for-14 (42.9%) from beyond the arc, as the Bears went 10-for-29 (34.5%).
• Life U's main shortcoming was on the boards. The team was out rebounded by Pikeville 53-39, with the Bears registering 20 points off put backs.
 
UP NEXT 
• The women's basketball team hits the road for its next game, traveling to Georgetown College on Thursday, January 14 at 5:30 PM.