MARIETTA, Ga. --- Chris Barnes posted a season best night, playing seemingly unstoppable from the mid-range jumper as he scored 26, but in a game that saw 13 lead changes, the Life University men's basketball team ended up on the wrong side of the total, falling in Mid-South Conference action 66-63 Thursday night in the Eagles Nest.

Life U (6-18, 3-16 MSC) found themselves in a dog fight early against Campbellsville (13-14, 6-13 MSC).Early in the contest, Dara Olonade hit a big three in transition assisted by Jordan Hernandez to tie the game at 7-7. Barnes took control early, scoring on three straight possessions for the Running Eagles as he hit a layup and back-to-back jumpers to give the team a 15-11 lead and him 10 points in just the first seven minutes of play. The Tigers bounced back connecting scores to retake the lead at the 6:45 mark, 22-21. With time in the half expiring and down four points, Cam Horton dished a ball to Hernandez in the corner behind the arc, splashing the ball in as time expired to see the teams enter the break, Life U trailing 34-33.

The Running Eagles quickly retook the lead in the second half, Horton cutting into the lane and hitting Olonade as he crashed to the rim where he flushed a dunk to give Life U a 41-37 lead. After Campbellsville came back to retake the lead, Barnes made a strong move to the basket, getting fouled while scoring, converting on the three-point play to cut the deficit to 56-55 with 5:42 to play. With 1:32 to play, Horton made a physical move to quickly get to the rim and put his team on top 62-61. With just over two seconds to play, Life U inbound the ball to Hernandez where he heaved up a shot, but it came up just shy of the rim, the Running Eagles falling 66-63.

Besides posting a game and season high 26 points, Barnes added a game high three steals to go with a block and three rebounds. Horton was the only other player to break into double-digit scoring, earning 12 to go with five boards and three assists.

Life U led the Tigers in shooting percentage and free throw percentages 46.7%-45.6% and 81.0%-64.3%, respectively, while trailing by a small amount from deep 28.6%-31.3%. The Running Eagles main short coming came in the paint, being outscored 36-20 and outrebounded 34-27.

The men's baketball team stays home for their conference regular season finale against No. 13 Georgetown College Saturday, February 12th at 4 PM.