MARIETTA, Ga. — Joshua Ward and Dara Olonade led the way for the Running Eagles with 24 and 23 points, respectively, as Life University put together a dominant performance to down #8 Faulkner University 87-81 Thursday night.
Life U (10-2, 4-2 SSAC) won the upset in their conference finale of the calendar year, besting Faulkner (9-2, 3-2 SSAC) in a game that saw the Running Eagles hold the lead for the entirety of the second half.
After trading the lead a total of five times, and tying the game an additional seven times in the first, the Running Eagles claimed a 33-31 lead after Joshua Ward and Dara Olonade combined for an emphatic alley-oop. After the slam, the Running Eagles extended the lead to eight by halftime, 43-35.
The 12-4 run that ended the period was capped with a Joshua Ward jumper, giving the Running Eagles their largest lead of the half at the break.
Coming out of the half, Life U. grew its lead through the first portion of the second, but after gaining a game-high 12-point lead with 15:44 left on the clock, the Faulkner offense began to chip at the Life U. lead. Strong Faulkner defense and costly turnovers saw the Running Eagle advantage fall to a slim three point lead with just under 10 minutes to play, 61-58.
In the next possession, determination in the paint from Joshua Ward saw the freshman score a tough layup after grabbing his own loose ball after a block and putting the ball back up for a much-needed deuce. After that basket, the Eagles returned with an ensuing three pointer that instantly cut the lead to 63-61, the closest of the second half.
With nine minutes to play and the slim two point advantage, the Running Eagles strung together a 6-0 run (including a Dara Olonade old-fashioned three-point play and a Mohamed Elgohary three) to put a cushion back in the contest. A final push from Faulkner down the stretch saw the Life U. lead get cut to four, but stellar free throw shooting from Elgohary, Ward, and Srdjan Popovich kept the game at a minumum two-possession contest until the final horn.
Ward and Olonade combined to provide the majority of offensive production for the Running Eagles as the pair combined for 47 points. Individually, transfer forward Mohamed Elgohary dominated the box score, scoring 17 points, grabbing 14 boards, and recording a season-high eight assists. Additionally, the Egyptian rejected four shots. Olonade was nearly perfect from the field, shooting 9-for-10 and also recording an 11-rebound double-double.
Life U held an edge in shooting 51.6%-40.8% and an advantage in shooting from the charity stripe 73.9%-63.6%. The Eagles held a major edge in long-range shooting 37.5%-20.7% but the Running Eagles outrebounded Faulkner 40-35.
The men's basketball team will remain home for their next contest, facing West Virginia Tech on December 30th. Tipoff in the Eagles' Nest after the Christmas holidays is set for 3 pm.
