Victory is in the Air, the Eagles Defeat the Wildcats 63-60

PINEVILLE, La - Men's Basketball traveled to Pineville, Louisiana this weekend to take on the Wildcats or Louisiana Christian for game two of a men's and women's RRAC double header. The Eagles edged out the Wildcats in a thrilling 63-60 final at H.O West Fieldhouse in the heart of the LCU campus. 

The Wildcats were the first to get on the board and gained an early 4-0 over the Eagles. However, Deovaunta Williams sunk a three pointer off an assist from RJ Moore and the Eagles were back within one of the Wildcats almost as quickly as LCU had built their lead. The two teams would battle back and forth, the lead changing seven times alone in the first half and with just over a minute left of play in the first, the two teams would be tied at 30 after Williams would make the first of a pair of free throws. The Eagles would go on a 6-2 run after the tied score, and at the half TAMUT would have a 4 point advantage over the Wildcats with a score of 36-32. The Eagles would record eight assists in the first half alone, and Payton Chism would account for 4 of those assists.

In the second half, the Eagles were able to hold onto their lead over the Wildcats despite being outscored 28-27. LCU would creep back within a single possession of the Eagles multiple times throughout the half, but TAMUT would score at the right moment to continue to hold the edge over their opponent. Daryl Houston would bury a pair of free throws with 8 seconds left of the game to give the Eagles a 3-point lead. The Wildcats hoisted up a last effort three pointer in hopes of forcing an overtime but could not connect. At the final buzzer the Eagles would emerge victorious with a final score of 63-60. 

Deovaunta Williams would lead the Eagles in scoring with 15 points, and teammate Daryl Houston would follow with 13 of his own in addition to snagging 8 rebounds. Freshman Jyrin Sowell would have an impressive defensive game as he would record two steals and two blocks for TAMUT.

Men's Basketball is currently ranked fourth in the RRAC as they move to 7-4 overall and 6-3 in conference play. The Eagles will be in action for one more conference matchup before the new year on Tuesday, December 17^th versus the Bulldogs of Jarvis Christian. The game will be played on the JCU campus in the E.W Rand Center, tipoff is scheduled for 7:30pm following the completion of the women's game prior.