MT VERNON, Ga. — The Life University men's basketball team fell just short in a heartbreaking comeback Saturday afternoon, losing to the Barons from Brewton-Parker 65-63.

The Running Eagles (17-8, 10-8 SSAC) had an attempt to tie the contest with less than five seconds remaining, but as the final shot missed and a defensive board went long, time expired. Despite the result, three starters tallied double-digits with Mohamed Elgohary scoring a team-high 13 points.

In the loss, the Running Eagles had a lead in the first half, but never grew the lead to double-digits, with the largest advantage coming with 29 seconds left in the first half, 36-27. After the break, the Barons charged back with a nine minute 24-5 run.

The scoreless run was fueled by a stretch of nine turnovers and 2-9 shooting from the Running Eagles, including a 1-2 trip to the free throw line. The Barons, however, were led by Lance Smith who scored 15. 

With a slow start to the second half, the Running Eagles battled for the final ten minutes to cut the lead to a single possession by the six minute mark. After trailing by as many as 10 points in the second half, the Running Eagles got hot down the stretch tying the contest at 61-all with 1:14 remaining.

The Running Eagles then saw a glimpse of hope, but after scoring 10 points in less than two minutes to cut the deficit to the tie, Life U. scored just two points in the remaining minute.

In the end, the Running Eagles came up just short in the second-half comeback attempt. Dara Olanade contributed a solid performance with 12 points and six boards while Joshua Ward tallied 11 points and a game high five assists. Overall the team struggled shooting 38.6% from the field and 21.7% from long range.