Posted: Jan 09, 2025
Soumahoro's last-second bucket leads Alice Lloyd to improbable win over Midway University, 84-83
Pippa Passes, KY: Senior forward Ben Soumahoro scored on a contested drive in the paint with 3.6 seconds remaining to lift the Alice Lloyd College Eagles to a thrilling come-from-behind 84-83 victory over the Midway University Eagles. The contest was played January 4th on "Coach J" Court, at the Perry Center.
In the opening half, the Eagles looked good early, sprinting out to a quick 8-3 advantage at 17:39. Later, after Eagle forward Jackson Tackett scored on a power move inside the paint at 15:18, his squad still led 15-12. From that point, the momentum would swiftly change.
Fueled by a combination of frigid shooting from the home club, outstanding play from Midway guard Amari Wells, and blistering shooting from behind the arc by the central Kentucky crew, MU unleashed a massive run. When guard Jace Brock drained a trifecta at the 7:55 mark, his teams fourth straight from deep, it capped off a staggering 23-0 run in a seven minute-twenty-three second span. Now trailing 35-15, the Pippa Passes posse appeared headed torwards a humiliating defeat on their home court.
With their backs against the wall, Alice Lloyd suddenly came to life. Sparked by 7 consecutive points in just over a minute by senior guard Jared Strickland, the eastern Kentucky Eagles tried to cut into the deficit. Later, still trailing 48-30 with just 1:47 remaining, the Eagles bench came up huge, as they closed the half on a 10-0 run. Junior guard Wilgus Tolson accounted for half of those points. When the buzzer sounded at intermission, the home fans were surprised to see thir boys were only down by eight, 48-40.
In the second half, back-to-back threes by Strickland and senior guard Jacob Curry brought the Pippa Passes posse within a single bucket (48-46) and set the tone for the entire half. Midway would produce numerous mini-runs only to watch the mountain men answer every single time.
Finally, at 8:39, a fast break layup from freshman guard Kaleb Walker gave the blue and white their first lead since early in the first half (66-65). Unfortunately, MU exploded one final time and managed a huge 16-8 burst to pull away 81-74 with just 2:47 showing on the scoreboard. It appeared the big effort from the Caney crew was destined to come up short.
At that point, Soumahoro put the home team on his back and refused to concede. Over the next two minutes, he sank a pair of free throws, stole the ball and hit a jumper, and hit 1-2 from the line after another Midway turnover. At 1:20, the MU lead was down to two, 81-79, and " Big Ben" was just warming up.
ALC committed a foul at .51 but the visitors missed the front end of the bonus. Sophomore guard Landon Napier would snag the rebound, then on the next play, hit a cutting Soumahoro powering his way to the goal. He sank the shot and draw the foul. When his charity toss tickled the twine, the crowd went berserk as Alice Lloyd suddenly led 82-81 with .38 ticks remaining.
In desperate need of a bucket, the central Kentucky club found Will Vanhook, who stuck a huge runner in the paint to give his team a one point lead, 83-82. ALC would call timeout with 21.3 on the clock, and draw up a final play.
On the ensuing possession, with the crowd on their feet, the mountain men turned to Soumahoro. The senior took the ball and attacked the paint where he drew a big double team. However, he countered with a beautiful fake and sliced through both men to sink a clutch bank shot. At 3.6, the hosts led 84-83.
Midway quickly grabbed the ball and through it down court to Travonte Swift, who fired a three at the buzzer. Although he had sank a pair of bombs earlier, this attempt bounced off the rim as the horn sounded, handing the hometown club a thrilling and improbable victory.
For ALC (11-3; 2-1 RSC), three players reached double figures. Strickland led the way with 24 points. He delivered 7-12 field goals, 4-7 trifectas and 6-6 free thows in a solid offensive performance.
Soumahoro, who was held in check until crunch time, was the man of the hour. He finished with 15 points, scoring his clubs final 10 points over the last 2:47 of the game. He also led the squad with 7 rebounds, 1 block, and 4 important steals.
Curry continued his steady play as he sank 4-6 bombs to finish with 12 points. Tackett overcame foul difficulties to finish with 8 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists.
The statistics were tight. The winning Eagles shot 46.4% (26-56) from the field, an excellent 52% (13-25) from beyond the arc, and 65.5% (19-29) from the free throw line. They added 32 rebounds, 13 assists, 1 block, and 9 steals. MU (4-7;1-2 RSC), was led on the day by Wells who was impressive with 28 points. His club shot 52.5% (31-59) from the field, 48.3% (14-29) from deep, and 70% (7-10) from the foul line. They added 33 rebounds, 22 assists, 2 blocks, and 11 steals.
The Eagles return to action on Saturday, January 11th, when they travel to Rio Grande to battle the NAIA #23 Red Storm in a big matchup. Weather permitting, the tipoff is set for 1:00pm.