Alice Lloyd Eagles battle NAIA’s top-ranked Grace College Lancers

Indianapolis, IN: On Saturday, December 30^th, the Alice Lloyd College Eagles traveled to Indianapolis Indiana to battle the nation's number one NAIA squad, the Grace College Lancers.

The matchup was held in the home of the Indiana Pacers, Gainbridge Fieldhouse at the conclusion of the NBA contest between the Pacers and the New York Knicks. Grace proved they were deserving of their lofty ranking, as they would take the contest, 88-55.

In the opening half, ALC would hang tough in the first five minutes, only trailing 13-10. However, sparked by the shooting of Jake Wadding, the Lacers would go on a 13-1 run in just three minutes to lead 26-11 at 12:01.

For the remainder of the half, the Eagles had trouble finding their shooting eye while Grace remained hot. Due to a 60% to 27% shooting advantage, GC would extend their lead, and take a 49-27 cushion into the dressing room at intermission.

In the second half, any hopes of an ALC comeback were quickly dashed. Grace would come out and receive 11 quick points from All-American center Elijah Malone to roll off a massive run. Unfortunately, the Indiana club would remain hot while the Eagles fortunes never changed. The Pippa Passes club would try to fight back, but the nation's top ranked team would never be threatened.

For Alice Lloyd (8-5), they would place three players in double figures, as senior guard Jared Strickland, senior forward Ben Soumahoro and junior forward Devonte Robinson each scored 10 points. Strickland led the squad with 7 rebounds while Robinson and senior forward Blaine Keathley grabbed 6 and 5 respectively. Keathley also swatted 2 shots.

In addition, sophomore guard Wilgus Tolson handed out 3 assists while freshman guard Daniel Carmical led with 2 steals.

The Pippa Passes club had a rough night shooting, sinking a season low 27.8% (20-72) from the field and 30.8% (8-26) from beyond the arc. They also hit just 7-15 (46.7%) from the foul line. The Eagles snared 40 rebounds, handed off 9 assists, grabbed 9 steals and blocked 4 shots.

The Lancers (13-0), were led by Malone and Wadding, both with 18 points. Their club shot 50.7% (38-75) from the field and 25.9 (7-27) from beyond the arc. They finished at 50% (5-10) from the charity stripe. In addition, they added 57 rebounds, handed off 30 big assists and stole 7 balls.

The Eagles return to conference action on January 2nd when they return home to face the Oakland City Oaks in important RSC play. The afternoon contest begins at 1:00pm. This will be followed by the Lady Eagles/ Lady Oaks squads tipping off at 3:00pm.