Winston-Salem, NC—Senior guard Marlon Gardner put together a career-best performance on the road against Piedmont International University, scoring a career-high 26 points; but the Eagles were unable to come away with the victory against a tough NCCAA DI opponent, losing 81-73 in Winston-Salem, NC.

In the 1st half, the Eagles got off to a quick start thanks to an early 10-4 run. Junior Ian Johnson scored 6 points in the early going. Senior Marlon Gardner and Ian Johnson would combine for 20 points in the 1st half of Saturday's game. Midway through the half, the Eagles trailed the Bruins 20-18. With Dakota Pratt struggling to stay on the court because of early foul trouble, the Eagles needed a spark to stay in the game. Marlon Gardner provided that spark for the Eagles; his 10-point 1st half performance helped the Eagles keep the score close as the minutes ticked by.

A back and forth battle ensued in the 1st half. The Bruins, averaging just 61 points per game on the season, shot the ball well from behind the three-point arch. The Eagles failed to defend several shots leading to wide open three-point attempts for the Bruins. Asked after the game about his team's perimeter defense, Head Coach Mark Goetsch responded, "Our perimeter defense is getting better. We've struggled all season with the dribble-drive, but our guards are getting better at staying attached to their man and competing."

Heading into the half, the Eagles trailed Piedmont International University 35-29. In the first half, Ian Johnson and Marlon Gardner each added 10 points to lead the Eagles. They shot nearly 40% from the field in the 1st half of the ball game.

Piedmont International University got off to a fast start in the 2nd half of action with an early 10-4 run of their own that widened the Eagles deficit to 12 points. The Bruins would stretch the lead to as many as 13 points with under 15 minutes remaining in the contest. However, the Eagles quickly answered the Bruins with a run of their own.

Senior Marlon Gardner would put the Eagles on his back in the 2nd half, scoring 16 of his career-high 26 points after halftime. Led by Gardner's performance, the Eagles would go on a 20-8 run to tie the ball game up with under 10 minutes remaining.
The 2nd half of Saturday's ball game was characterized by multiple long scoring runs by both teams. After the Eagles tied the game, the Bruins went on to widen the lead back to 11 points, but the Eagles would not go away. Dakota Pratt, who was largely ineffective in the 1st half, made his mark on the game by scoring 12 crucial points down the stretch in the 2nd half. After the game, Coach Goetsch was asked about Pratt's performance. He said, "Dakota [Pratt] picked up a few early fouls in the game. He was able to battle through that in the 2nd half and put together a good performance for us."

With under 5 minutes remaining, the Eagles would again have a chance to take over the lead for good, but several crucial turnovers allowed Piedmont International University to stretch their lead back up to 8 points. The Bruins would go on to win the game by a final score of 81-73. Marlon Gardner had himself a career game, scoring 26 points and adding 6 rebounds. Ian Johnson and Dakota Pratt both scored in double-digits for the team with 17 and 14 points respectively. In the loss, the Eagles shot over 40% from the floor.

With the loss, the Eagles record now sits at 2-11 on the season. Their next game will be on the road against Trinity College of Florida, a team they faced earlier in the year. The game will be at 6:00 pm CT in New Port Richey on Monday night.