Double dips usually refer to baseball doubleheaders and ice cream, but in this case, the Golden Eagles continued the second part of a road trip on Sunday for their first two-game weekend since early November.
After winning at Andrews University late Saturday evening, they drove two hours to Fort Wayne, IN to stay overnight and then trekked to Edison State in Piqua, OH, on Sunday morning. Both teams were double digit winners on Saturday, but this game was much closer and the hosts upended the Golden Eagles 70-68.
Leading 32-28 following a seesaw first half and hoping to be crowned road warriors, KSU Tusc built a 13-point, 49-36, second half lead with six minutes left in the contest boosted by a 15-3 run.
The homestanding Chargers however, had other ideas and blistered the nets from behind the arc, converting on 8/13 triples at an unbelievable efficiency rate of 62%. Their success from 22 feet overshadowed their dismal free throw shooting (8/24) at the Eagles expense. They made three triples in a row to melt the Eagles lead away and steal their way back into the game trailing by just a basket with 5:48 to play.
Still, the Eagles had their chances while nursing a meager lead to the finish line. But they turned the ball over three times in their last five possessions of the game opening the door for Edison State. With a one-point 68-67 lead and :40 seconds left in the game the Eagles opted for a dunk attempt on a breakaway, instead of a layup at the rim. Unfortunately, tired legs contributed to a missed shot that was denied by the rim.
That ominous basket would have given the Eagles a three-point lead with just one possession left for the Chargers, but the winners collected the misfire and made the game winning basket with just :11 ticks left leading 69-68.
With one last chance left, a wild Golden Eagles shot was way off its mark and a subsequent foul led to a free throw that provided the winning two-point margin.
London Cobbs led all scorers in the game with 23 points on 9/20 shooting. He also grabbed eight rebounds and was joined in double figures by DeJuan Lawrence who recorded his 12th double-double on the year with 10 points and 10 boards. James Roundtree was the only other Eagle in double figures and came off the bench to score 12 points.
The loss drops the Golden Eagles to 14-7 on the year and they are back in action on Wednesday when they travel to Buffalo, NY, for a rematch with Villa Maria College.
DeJuan Lawrence tries to make a steal and recorded his 12th double-double of the year versus the Chargers. (Photo by Patty Tolotti)