Greenville, SC—Despite trailing by just 9 points at halftime, the Eagles were unable to overcome that deficit in a 98-81 loss on the road to the Bob Jones University Bruins. Dakota Pratt led the Eagles with 25 points in the ballgame.

On the road in hostile territory, the Eagles were able to start the game off strongly. Dakota Pratt started the game off on fire from the floor. He would go on to score 13 of the Eagles first 17 points in tonight's ballgame. With 13 minutes remaining in the 1st half, the Eagles led the Bruins 17-15 due in part to Dakota Pratt's early performance. Despite Dakota Pratt's early performance, the Eagles were unable to hold down the Bruins guards.

Bruins senior guard Justin Matthews along with guard Nate Ellenwood were the driving force for the Bruins offense. The pair would combine for 38 points in the 1st half and shot 57% (12-21) from the floor. The Eagles were able to hang with the Bruins despite the dynamic guard play of Matthews and Ellenwood. With 6 minutes remaining in the 1st half, a layup by freshman Alex Dickerman would cut the Eagles deficit to just 1. Justin Matthews would again hit a three pointer to stretch the lead back to 4, but Eagles guard John Clay answered with a three of his own to again cut into the Bruins lead.

The Bruins would slowly build their lead back up to 9 points after several key buckets by Nate Ellenwood. The Eagles, down by 11 with 1 minute left in the half, would again go to Dakota Pratt for a wide-open layup to cut the deficit to just 9 at the half. In the 1st half, Dakota Pratt led the Eagles with 19 points on 9-12 shooting. The team shot 55% from the field and 50% from behind the three-point arch. The Eagles outrebound the Bruins 16-10 in the 1st half.

Asked about his team's performance in the 1st half, Head Coach Mark Goetsch responded, "We were able to find Dakota [Pratt] in the post early on tonight. We have been trying to get him the ball most consistently. We need to continue to work on defending in transition. That is something that hurt us tonight."

Heading into the 2nd half, the Eagles hoped to build momentum and cut into the Bruins 9-point halftime lead, but the Bruins had other plans. Justin Matthews and Nate Ellenwood helped guide the Bruins to a 21 point lead just 5 minutes into the 2nd half. On the evening, Matthews and Ellenwood combined for 56 of the Bruins 98 points. The pair shot a blistering 61% from the field and 40% from behind the three-point line.

Despite the hot start by the Bruins, the Eagles continued to battle late in the 2nd half. A combined 22 points by Marlon Gardner and Ian Johnson helped the Eagles cut into the Bruins 25 point lead. With just 3 minutes remaining, Ian Johnson would score an easy layup to cut the deficit to just 12. After the game, Coach Goetsch was asked about his team's gritty performance in the 2^nd half. He responded, "Ian, Marlon, and Micah played really well in the 2nd half. James came in and gave us a boost defensively as well. On the road, against a team as good as Bob Jones, you have the opportunity to give up when you are down by 25. I was proud of how our guys fought hard despite the score."

Although the Eagles surged late in tonight's ballgame, they were unable to overcome the Bruins on the road, falling 98-81 in Greenville, SC. Four Eagles scored in double-figures (Pratt-25, Johnson-16, Gardner-14, and Keener-11). On the defensive end, Ian Johnson led the team with 9 rebounds and Dakota Pratt added 7 of his own. The Eagles shot 50% from the field and 42% from behind the three-point line in the ballgame. They would go on to out-rebound the Bruins 30-28.

Head Coach Mark Goetsch was pleased with his team's overall performance, he said, "We struggled to find an answer for their zone all night. I was happy with our performance on the boards against the Bruins big men. The team played hard tonight, and we have some things that we can continue to work on. A lot of credit goes to Bob Jones, they are by far the class of our region with all of their talent."

With the loss, the Eagles record now sits at 2-14. The Eagles, mired in a 12 game losing streak, will look to come away with a win against Toccoa Falls College tomorrow at 3 p.m. CT in Toccoa Falls, GA.