Pensacola, FL — Our Eagles Basketball team was unable to overcome a late deficit in their 89-81 loss to #1 seed Bob Jones University in last night's NCCAA South Region semifinal. The loss ends the Eagles season and sends them into the offseason where they will look to work hard and improve for next season.

"Bob Jones wasn't hitting their shots from behind the arch tonight." Head Coach Mark Goetsch continued, "They have some guys who can really go downhill and attack the rim. They were able to get us into some foul trouble and ended up shooting 41 shots from the charity stripe."

The Eagles jumped out to an early lead behind the play of upperclassman Andrew Thomas and Deont'e Hallums. The pair hit back-to-back three points in the opening minutes of the game to give the Eagles an early 6-point advantage. The Bruins would quickly answer with back-to-back three-pointers by senior guards Nate Ellenwood and Justin Matthews.

Despite the strong shooting by Bob Jones early on, the Eagles were able to hang onto the lead throughout the 1st half of play. The Eagles, playing in front of a near capacity crowd, continued to ride their early momentum into the waning moments of the 1st half. Eagles' guards Marlon Gardner and Deont'e Hallums helped the team maintain their lead throughout the remainder of the half. With 27 seconds remaining, Bruins guard Quiyante Burroughs would bury an easy two to cut the Eagles lead to just one heading into the half. At the half, the Eagles led the #1 seeded Bruins 39-38.

"The Bruins did a great job of taking Dakota Pratt out of the game," Head Coach Mark Goetsch said at the half. "We need to continue to look for other ways to get Coty [Pratt] involved in the offense. That really hurt us early in the ball game."

Heading into the 2nd half, the team hoped to hang onto their slim halftime advantage. The Eagles, who played perhaps their best game of the season, were able to hold the lead until the 15 minute mark in the 2nd half, but the Bruins consistent offensive attack proved to be too much for the Eagles. Back-to-back baskets by guard Quiyante Burroughs and Nate Ellenwood, the NCCAA South Region Player of the Year, helped the Bruins regain the lead with 14:36 remaining on the clock.

The Eagles would continue to fight down the stretch and would bring the deficit to just 7 points with under 2 minutes to go. However, it was the Bruins, led by Nate Ellenwood, who scored 29 points in the game, that would fend off the Eagles late comeback attempts to secure their spot in Saturday's NCCAA South Region Championship against Trinity College (FL).

"Our offense was very one-dimensional tonight," Head Coach Mark Goetsch said after the game. "We struggled to find good scoring opportunities in the 2nd half. Credit Bob Jones' defense for a strong performance."

The Eagles were led in scoring by Andrew Thomas who finished the game with 13 points and 8 rebounds. Andrew Thomas was one of three Eagles athletes in double-figures–Thomas(13), Rose (12), and Gardner (10). The team shot just under 44% from the field and 31% from behind the three-point arch, but the free throw line proved to be the difference maker. The Eagles would shoot 21 free throws, making 15 of them, but handed the Bruins a season high 47 free throw attempts of which they made 36 in the contest.

With the loss, the Eagles end what has been largely a disappointing season with a 7-20 record. The Eagles, who were optimistic coming into the season, failed to live up to their fullest potential. With a young team and an offseason ahead, Head Coach Mark Goetsch is optimistic about this team. He said after the game, "If this group of guys are willing to put the work in, there is no reason that we can't compete against a team like Bob Jones in the future."