NEED TO KNOW:
Score: Life U 107, Milligan 87
Records: Life U, 5-0; Milligan, 1-3
MILLIGAN, Tenn. — The Life University men's basketball team pick up its first road win of the season late Wednesday night, taking down the Buffs of Milligan in dominant fashion. The 20-point victory was led by Shane Stevensen and Matija Gledic, who both had 20-point performances.
Life U wasted no time jumping out to a lead, opening the contest on an 11-2 run in the first four minutes. The Buffs scrapped to keep the contest from getting out of hand early, but a three-pointer from Baqi Lecky gave the Running Eagles squad its first double-digit lead of the half with 13:09 to play. Milligan did its best to stay within striking defense but had no answer for the Life U offense. Srdjan Popovic, who led all scorers in the first half with 15, knocked down a big three just before the under ten media time out to once again give the Running Eagles a double-digit lead. Life U led by no less than double digits for the remainder of the contest following the bucket.
Led by Popovic shooting 5-8 from beyond the arc, the Running Eagles offense shot 59% from the floor, 58.8% from three and went perfect from the free throw line in the first half. Shane Stevensen and Matija Gledic also reached double-digit scoring in the first half while Maurice Wright added four steals on the defensive end.
Leading 59-35 coming out of the half time break, Life U picked up right where it left off. The Running Eagles held a near 20-point lead for the entirety of the second half as Stevensen and company continued to pour in the points.
A pair of free throws from Gledic with 09:35 left to play gave Life U its biggest lead of the game, 87-55. Though the 30+ point lead would not hold, the offense continued to race towards triple-digits. The Running Eagles crossed into the hundreds with nearly five minutes left in the contest behind a tough bucket from Wright. The final minutes of the game became a formality as Life U closed out the 107-87 win.
TURNING POINT:
--Life U secured a double-digit lead midway through the first half and never looked back.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
--The Running Eagles led by 24 at half time, shooting 59% from the floor.
--Nine different Running Eagles got involved on the offensive end with five reaching double-digits.
--Life U led for a total time of 39:28.
STANDOUT PERFORMANCES:
--Srdjan Popovic: 15 points, 4 assists
--Shane Stevensen: 22 points, 3 rebounds, 1 steal
--Matija Gledic: 21 points, 5 rebounds
--Maurice Wright: 13 points, 5 assists, 6 rebounds, 5 steals
--Brashon Hall: 12 points, 3 assists, 4 rebounds
UP NEXT:
--Life U returns home for the first conference contest of the year, taking on Point University on Thursday, Nov. 20.
