Following today's annual Eagle Pride Tailgate, the Eagles suited up for a regional matchup in the nest against Toccoa Falls College, that resulted in a big 72-64 win for our Eagles!

The Eagles started off slow on offense, unable to convert their shots into points. Although the Eagles were unable to score for the first 6 minutes of the game, they held Toccoa Falls to just 7 points. Once the Eagles found their offensive rhythm, they exchanged leads several times with Toccoa Falls on each end of the court.

With 4 minutes left in the first half, the Eagles and Toccoa Falls sat 19-20. Austin Lewis hit several big 3-pointers that gave the Eagles a 7-point lead over Toccoa. Our Eagles headed to the locker room at halftime with a 6-point lead over Toccoa Falls, 30-24!

The Eagles came back from halftime determined to finish the game strong. Noah Rawlings stopped a layup with a quick block that sent the ball flying into the pep band. With 10 minutes left in the second half, fans cheered as Rawlings found another huge block under the basket. The Eagles and Toccoa Falls continued to score on each end of the floor for the next several minutes.

With 7 minutes left in the game, the Eagles held their lead by 2 points. Chance Roberson found Dakota Pratt in the post for an open layup to help extend the Eagles' lead. With 5 minutes left on the clock, Roberson drew a charge that gave the Eagles another offensive possession. Christian Porter took advantage of this by scoring a long-range 3-pointer, extending the Eagles' lead to 7 points. Toccoa Falls drew several fouls, but was unable to convert their one-and-one free throw opportunities into points.

With 3 minutes left on the clock, the Eagles sat just 3 points ahead of Toccoa Falls. Clay drove inside and passed back out to Christian Porter, who found an open three that brought the Eagles' lead to 5 points. Toccoa Falls' point guard began playing very tight defense at the half-court line and was able to force several turnovers on the Eagles, but also found several fouls in the process.

With 44 seconds left on the clock, the Eagles now had only a 5-point lead over Toccoa Falls. Toccoa Falls set up their defense in a full-court press, hoping to force a turnover. Clay sprinted up the court to break the press and found a wide-open layup, giving the Eagles a 7-point lead, 69-62. After getting fouled, Woods went to the line and was able to hit one of his two free throws.

Cheers roared as Eric Osuch checked in for the first time in his career as an Eagle on the home court. Osuch then was fouled on the inbounds and went to the line for his first scoring opportunity as an Eagle on the home court. Fans went wild as Osuch scored his first point of his college basketball career.

Coach Goetsch shared his thoughts on his team's performance tonight: "I was thrilled with the balanced performance that our players gave.  They shared the ball well and actively looked for advantages both offensively and defensively.  Four players in double figures were proof of that.  I'm excited as this team made some positive strides this week in their play, though it didn't turn out in more wins."

The Eagles finished tonight's game with a 72-64 victory against their NCCAA DII South Region opponent, Toccoa Falls College. Their next game is February 8 against Bob Jones University in the Sports Center!