NEED TO KNOW:
Score: Life U 61, Mobile 59
Records: Life U, 15-6 (8-3 SSAC); Mobile, 5-16 (5-6 SSAC)
MOBILE, Ala. — The Life University men's basketball team took down the Rams of Mobile on Saturday afternoon in thrilling fashion. In a back-and-forth contest, Matija Geldic was the hero, dropping in a last-second layup to put the Running Eagles up two with just seconds left on the clock.
The Rams jumped out to a sizable lead early in the contest as Life U struggled from the floor. By the time the first media break rolled around, Life U found itself down by nine, having scored just five points at the 13:38 mark. Locked in a defensive battle, neither side found momentum as the scoring remained slow. Trailing 22-12 midway through the first, the Running Eagles offensive finally found its stride. Two-straight buckets from Sergio Corta, followed by a three from Chase James-Robinson and a free throw from Brashon Hall quickly pulled Life U back within two. However, two was as close as the Running Eagles would get in the first as the team trailed by seven, 35-28, heading into the break.
As Life U slowly worked to cut into the lead out of half time, the Rams threatened to run away with the contest. A 8-0 run starting at the 15:28 mark gave Mobile its largest lead of the game at 13 points. Refusing to back down, the Running Eagles offense responded with a run of its own. A 16-2 run gave Life U its first lead of the contest as six different scorers contributed to the run.
In the final minutes of the contest, both squads found themselves in a dog fight as the teams traded leads back-and-forth. With 49 seconds left in the contest, the Rams knocked down a big three to take a two-point lead into the final seconds of play. Life U responded with two trips to the free throw line, going 1/2 each time to tie the contest. Now locked at 59-59 with 28 seconds to play, the Running Eagles defense stepped up big, forcing a turnover out of the Mobile offense. On the opposite end of the floor, Matija Gledic dropped in the game-winning layup just seconds later as Life U took home the 61-59 win.
TURNING POINT:
--Matija Gledic laid in the game-winning bucket with ten seconds left on the clock.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
--Life U shot 51.1% from the floor in the contest.
--The Running Eagles dominated the glass, 34-19.
STANDOUT PERFORMANCES:
--Sergio Corta: 15 points, 3 rebounds
--Matija Gledic: 8 points, 11 rebounds
--Maurice Wright: 8 points, 5 rebounds
--Josh Baugher: 7 points, 10 rebounds
UP NEXT:
--The Running Eagles return home for SSAC action, facing William Carey on Thursday, Jan. 29.
