NEED TO KNOW:
Score: Life U 69; Loyola, 60
Records: Life U, 20-9 (12-6 SSAC); Loyola, 22-6 (14-4 SSAC)
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Life University men's basketball team advanced to the semifinals of the SSAC Tournament early Friday morning in a contest that tipped off at 1:00 AM local time. Taking down the Wolfpack of Loyola, the Running Eagles were led by Shane Stevensen, who scored 21 points on 10-17 shooting.
Life U jumped out to a quick lead to kick off the late night/early morning contest. Locked in a defensive battle, just two points separated the squads at the first media break. As the teams traded buckets, a three-pointer from Matija Gledic gave the Running Eagles a seven-point edge heading into the midway media break of the first half.
As the Life U offense slowly began to step in to rhythm, the defense found stops on the opposite end of the floor. From the 13:03 mark until the end of the half, Life U allowed just one bucket from the floor. Shane Stevensen had an electric first half, leading all scorers in the contest with 14 points as the Running Eagles carried a solid 35-23 lead into the break.
Stevensen stuffed the points category while Josh Baugher added six rebounds and three assists. Brashon Hall racked up four steals on the defensive end of the floor.
Out of the break, both offenses found early success. The Wolfpack held the narrow edge and quickly sliced the lead to as little as five. Five points marked the closest Loyola would get as back-to-back threes from Brashon Hall and Calvin Payton moved the score line back to double-digits midway through the second half. Though Loyola continued to cut into the lead, Life U had an offensive answer every time.
In one final attempt to get back into the contest, Loyola cut the lead to seven with 07:39 left to play. Buckets from Matija Gledic and Stevensen in the ensuing minutes continued to hold the Wolfpack at bay as the clock continued to count towards a Life U victory. The final minutes featured buckets from Maurice Wright, Gledic and Baugher as the Running Eagles pushed the lead to as many as 15. The contest concluded in favor of Life U, 69-60.
TURNING POINT:
--Life U allowed just one bucket from the floor for the final 13 minutes of the first half while the offense generated a 12-point half time lead.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
--Life U held the Wolfpack to just 16.1% (5-31) from beyond the arc.
--The Running Eagles shot 41.7% from the floor.
--Life U was dominant in the paint, scoring 38 of the 69 total points from there.
STANDOUT PERFORMANCES:
--Shane Stevensen: 21 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals
--Matija Gledic: 15 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists
--Josh Baugher: 9 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals
--Brashon Hall: 9 points, 5 steals
UP NEXT:
--The Running Eagles turn around and play again on Friday (today), taking on William Carey at 8 PM EST.
