Impressive Defensive Effort Lifts Alice Lloyd to Road Conference Victory Over Oakland City, 73-49

Oakland City, IN: The Alice Lloyd Eagles rang in the new year by limiting the homestanding Oakland City Mighty Oaks to just 16% field goal shooting in the second half and rode that effort to a nice 73-49 River States Conference victory. The matchup was held on Tuesday in the Hoosier state.

The Eagles jumped out to a quick 13-7 advantage at the 15:30 mark before the hosts came back to tie the score at 25-25.  However, sparked by 11 points off the bench from junior forward Ben Soumahoro, ALC would take a 34-31 lead into intermission.

In the second half, the Oaks gave their fans something to cheer about as they opened up the first three minutes on a 9-2 run to pull ahead 40-36 and force an Alice Lloyd timeout. From that point on, everything would change.

After play resumed, the Eagles would answer by unleashing a stunning defensive display. Over the next thirteen minutes, sparked on defense by the entire team and on offense by Soumahoro, senior forward Will Philpot, and big plays from the bench, the Pippa Passes posse would limit OCU to just three points while scoring 24 of their own.

When the dust settled, after freshman point guard Koji Anderson swished two charity tosses at 4:22, the Kentucky boys led 60-43. From that point, the contest was never in doubt as the Caney Creek crew would take the satisfying victory.

For Alice Lloyd (8-7, 3-3 RSC), who played their first game of the year with a healthy roster, they were paced in double-figures by Soumahoro and Philpot, who combined for 13-22 field goals to finish with 18 and 12 points respectively. Three of their teammates, senior guard Bryce Slone, junior forward Damon Tobler, and sophomore guard Brady Nelson, all chipped in with 7 points.

Philpot recorded a double-double as he ripped down a game-high 15 rebounds. He also swatted two shots. Anderson led with three assists, and Soumahoro nabbed two steals.

Off the bench, junior forward Noah Caudill came in to contribute seven boards, while senior center Colyn Sturgill and sophomore Blaine Keathley both grabbed six more.

ALC shot 40.9% (27-66) from the field, 20% (2-10) from behind the arc, and 54.8 % (17-31) from the foul line. They earned the win with their stellar defense and by dominating the glass with 56 huge rebounds. They added eight assists and six steals.

For Oakland City (7-9; 1-5 RSC), Allen Sims was the only Oak to hit double figures, finishing with 11 points. His club shot 28.6% (18-63) from the floor, including just 5-31 in the second half. They were 25% (4-16) from behind the arc and 69.2% (9-13) from the foul line. They also added 36 rebounds, eight assists, and seven steals.

ALC returns to action on Friday, January 7th, when they host the Brescia Bearcats in the RSC play. Tipoff is set for 3:00 pm.