NEED TO KNOW:
Score: Life U 68, Bryan 55
Records: Life U, 3-0; Bryan, 0-3
MARIETTA, Ga. — The Life University men's basketball team picked up its third win of the season on Saturday, taking down the Lions of Bryan College by a final score of 68-55. The Running Eagles finish off the Ken Woods Memorial Classic with a 2-0 record and improve to 3-0 on the season.
The opening minutes featured solid defense on both ends of the floor, with Life U taking an early 6-0 lead. The visiting Lions went nearly five minutes before finding their first points of the game. The Running Eagles continued to hold a steady lead in the first half, with Baqi Lecky knocking down a pair of three-pointers to push the lead to double-digits with nine to play.
The largest lead of the first half came with 05:35 left, when Calvin Payton knocked down a three to give his squad a 30-14 lead. However, the Lions went on a massive 18-3 run to close out the first, taking a 1-0 lead into the break. Payton led all scorers with nine points in the first.
Out of the half, Life U immediately reclaimed the lead with buckets from Srdjan Popovich and Josh Baugher. The offense continued to flow for the Running Eagles, with Payton knocking down a pair of threes while Shane Stevensen got it done in the paint. Combining the shooting with solid defense, Life U reclaimed a near double-digit lead by the first media timeout.
Allowing just seven points in the first ten minutes of the half, the Running Eagles carried a 14-point lead into the final seven minutes of play. Though it looked like the game could be nearing its end, one last run from Bryan made things interesting. The visitors used a 9-2 run to cut the lead down to seven with just three minutes to play.
However, late buckets from Maurice Wright, Stevensen and Payton sealed the game as Life U bested Bryan by a final score of 68-55.
TURNING POINT:
--Life U came out of the half time break on a 21-7 run to resecure control of the game.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
--Life U shot over 40% from three and the floor.
--The Running Eagles defense limited the Lions to just 26.5% from three.
--Ten different Running Eagles got involved on the offensive end.
STANDOUT PERFORMANCES:
--Calvin Payton: 18 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal
--Shane Stevensen: 9 points, 9 rebounds, 1 block
--Josh Baugher: 7 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists
--Brashon Hall: 9 points, 1 steal
UP NEXT:
Life U welcomes #5 Freed-Hardeman to Marietta in a nationally ranked match up on Wednesday, Nov. 5 at 7:30 PM EST.
