NAIA
Ward's Double-Double Leads the Way as Men's Basketball Downs #19 Mobile
NEED TO KNOW:
Score: Life U 81, Mobile 79
Records: Life U, 18-8 (SSAC, 12-6), Mobile, 20-6 (SSAC, 13-5)
MOBILE, Ala. – The Life University men's basketball team pulled off a late thriller against the #19 Rams ending a five-game win streak for Mobile.
With the win, Mobile and Life split the regular season series this year, with Mobile defeating the Running Eagles in Marietta back on Jan. 10.
The Running Eagles held tough against the strong Rams squad in the first half as Mobile opened Thursday's game with a 7-0 run, before saw the early deficit evaporated as Life U rallied to gain a 13-12 advantage halfway through the first half. From there, the two teams stayed close with one another as Mobile managed a 43-41 lead at halftime.
In the second half, the Running Eagles saw the Rams again open with a run, but, much like the first half, Life U stormed back to stay within four points over the next several minutes. The Running Eagles then grabbed a lead with 10:55 left in the game and never looked back. Despite claiming the lead, the advantage never exceeded six as the game remained a two-basket contest down the wire. Leading by just two, a late missed free throw for Life U saw Mobile receive one last chance, but a missed three-pointer buzzer-beater ended the game, handing Life U the much-needed two-point win.
Life recorded a 49% shooting line, while Mobile finished Thursday shooting 47% from the field. Joshua Ward nearly collected a triple-double, scoring a game-high 29 points and 13 boards while also leading the contest with eight assists. Nathan Presnell joined Ward with a solid 17-point performance.
The win marks three in a row for Life U as the Running Eagles continue to sharpen their edges with just two regular season contests remaining.
The road trip continues for Life U as they travel to face Stillman on Saturday before returning for one final regular season contest against Dalton State. The Running Eagles will use the home finale against the Roadrunners as their Senior Recognition game. Tipoff on Saturday is slated for 3 pm et.