2/9/12, Marietta, GA – After a closely contested first-half saw Life University (13-12) lead by just 7 points over Talladega College (7-16) going into the locker room, the second-half was not nearly as dramatic.
Life used a 29-10 run over a 9 minute stretch in the second-half to close out a double-digit victory by a 100-82 final score.
Although Talladega used a 19-7 run to open the second-half and grab a 5 point lead, Life responded quickly with their own 29-10 run that set the tone for the rest of the game.
“I think the key was stabilizing ourselves defensively,” noted Coach Barrett on his team’s response to Talladega’s run at the beginning of the second-half. “I think we dominated them on the boards too.”
Coach Barrett was right on target with that statement.
Life out-rebounded Talladega by a ridiculous 57-21 margin led by junior Andrew Woods’ 19 rebounds. In fact, Life’s 28 offensive rebounds were still more than the total for Talladega as a team and resulted in many second and even third-chance scoring opportunities for the Running Eagle offense.
Life had four players in double figures led by Woods who finished with a game-high 20 points to go along with his career-high 19 rebounds. It was his fourth double-double of the season. Senior guard Pete Driver also delivered an impressive, stat-stuffing performance with 15 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals.
“Pete and [An]Drew were key guys. […] they were both pounding the glass, coming up with loose balls, and doing the things you need when you’re not playing great for a stretch, said Coach Barrett. “Those two guys really stepped up.”
Senior point guard PJ Meyers and junior guard DeAndre Cannon were the two other Running Eagles in double-figures for the night with 14 and 13 points, respectively.
Life will finish out their four-game home-stand on Tuesday, February 14 at the Eagles' Nest as they take on St. Catherine College at 7:30 pm. They will then go on a two-game road-trip where they will play Voorhees College and Concordia College on Thursday, February 16 and Tuesday, February 21, respectively.
2/9/12, Las Vegas, NV - Life University's Undergraduate Sevens team is competing at the Las Vegas Invitational Thursday through Saturday this week. The Invitational hosts 32 college sevens teams from across the country, including UCLA, Texas, Stanford, Yale, Georgia, San Diego State and Air Force Academy.
The LVI championship match will be held during a break in action of the USA 7s matches in front of 25,000 fans. For the second year in a row, USA Rugby and NBC Sports is offering the winner of the LVI an at-large bid to compete at the 2012 Collegiate Rugby Championship aired live on NBC in June.
The match schedule for Life Rugby is:
Thursday, Feb 9
12:20 p.m. EST - LIFE vs. University of San Francisco
3:00 p.m. EST - LIFE vs. University of Buffalo
Friday, Feb 10
12:20 p.m. EST - LIFE vs. Saint Joseph's University
The quarterfinals begin Friday afternoon. For a live game cast, follow the LIFERugby Twitter page and RugbyMag.com for game scores.
2/6/12, Marietta, GA - The Life University Running Eagles (11-11) had an outstanding 9 of 11 players reach double-figures on Monday night as their balanced attack lead to a blow-out of Concordia College by a 120-76 final score.
Life bounced back in triumphant fashion after a tough loss two days earlier on their home court to even their record back at .500 and build some momentum for the home-stretch of the season leading into the AII Tournament held in early March.
Life used an early 27-3 run to build a comfortable 34-10 advantage in the first 11 minutes of the first-half. While Concordia cut the lead to 16 at the 5:32 mark of the first-half, Life once again responded with a huge 22-10 run to close the half and send the Running Eagles to the locker room with a 28 point lead.
The Running Eagles were not done providing highlights for their fans at the Eagles Nest, as they continued their scoring barrage in the second-half by building their lead to 44 points with many highlight-reel dunks, assists, and defensive stops.
“Tonight we were hitting shots, we were hitting threes, and it’s contagious,” said Coach Barrett after the win. “Everybody got involved. I was very excited about how hard everybody played coming off that tough loss on Saturday.”
Point guards PJ Meyers and Isaac Carr set the tempo for the Running Eagles’ offense as they combined for 29 points, 10 assists, and just 3 turnovers and took turns running the show to perfection.
“They were both looking to pass the ball. That makes all the difference in the world,” remarked Coach Barrett on PJ and Isaac’s play.
Two other major keys for Life were their defense and bench play. As a team, the Running Eagles forced 23 turnovers, had 10 steals, and a ridiculous 13 blocked shots led by Carr’s 6 steals and Roman Walker’s four rejections. Life’s bench combined to score 73 of their season-high 120 points, gaining a lot of playing time as Life cruised to the easy victory.
Life plays host to Talladega College (6-15) on Thursday night in their third consecutive home game. In order to push their record above .500, the Running Eagles will have to execute at a level similar to tonight’s win.
“These days in the NAIA, you’ve got to be ready every game,” said Coach Barrett on his team’s upcoming game against Talladega. With every game meaning so much to Life’s post-season chances, you can bet that they will be ready.
2/4/12, Marietta, GA - The Mountain State University Cougars (19-6) lived up to their number 11 ranking in taking down the Life University Running Eagles (11-12) by a final of 116-89 on Saturday evening at the Eagles Nest. Life University fell behind early after a 21-2 run over a seven-minute stretch helped Mountain State race to a commanding 58-32 half-time lead.
"They came out hungry," said Assistant Coach Anthony Maxwell on the effort of Mountain State. "They were hitting on all cylinders and their shots were falling. We dug ourselves in a big hole, and against a good team it is hard to come back from that."
Even with Life starting a bigger lineup to try to match up with Mountain States size, they were still at an extreme disadvantage in the paint, getting outrebounded by a 57-46 margin which resulted in many second and even third-chance buckets for the Cougars to convert into points.
Coming into the game as the top defensive team in the nation, allowing opponents to convert at only a 35 percent clip from the field, Mountain State kept up their torrid defensive play against Life as the Running Eagles shot just 38 percent from the field for the contest, and only 26 percent in the first-half. Mountain State, on the other hand, was red-hot throughout the game as they shot an outstanding 55 percent from the field and 48 percent from long-distance.
Life had three players in double-digits, with senior point-guard PJ Meyers leading the way with 30 points, 28 of which came after half-time. Forwards Mico Sjekloca and Andrew Woods rounded out the list of Running Eagle scorers in double-figures with 23 and 15 points, respectively.
"At this point, its got to be a pride thing," said Coach Maxwell on where the Running Eagles' mindsets need to be for the remainder of the season. "You definitely want to end with a winning record, and you've got to come out every night and compete to finish strong."
If Life can get on a roll in this last month of the regular season, they still have hope to make the NAIA tournament. At this point, it is looking more and more like they will need to win the Association of Independent Institutions tournament (AII) to secure a bid. The tournament will be held March 2-4 at the Eagles Nest in Marietta, so the Eagles will have the home-court advantage on their side.
In the meantime, Life will have to put Saturday night's game behind them quickly, as they play host to Concordia College at 7:30 pm on Monday, February 6 and Talladega College (6-14) next Thursday, February 9 at 7:30 pm at the Eagles' Nest. Life will be looking to bring their record above .500 with wins in those contests next week.
1/31/12, Williamsburg, KY - Life University suffered a loss on the road tonight against University of the Cumberlands, 85-82.
LIFE was led by point guard PJ Meyers who scored 22 points. As a team, the Running Eagles out rebounded the Patriots 44 to 33, and shot 90 percent from the line, going 17 for 19.
The Running Eagles host Mountain State University at home this Saturday at 4 p.m. with hopes to avenge their loss on the road earlier this year.
Rugby
Las Vegas Invitational
2/10/12 LasVegas, NV
Life vs W 26
University of Missouri 5
Life vs W 33
Saint Joseph's University 7
Basketball
2/9/12 Marietta, GA
Life vs. W 100
Talladega College 82
2/9/12 LasVegas, NV
Life vs W Forfeit
University of San Francisco
University of Buffalo 0
2/6/12 Marietta, GA
Life vs. W 120
Concordia College 76
2/4/12 Marietta, GA
Life vs. L 89
Mountain State University 116
1/31/12 Williamsburg, KY
Life _ L 82
University of the Cumberlands 85
Hockey
1/27/12 Marietta, GA
Life vs. W 6
Kennesaw University 3
1/26/12 Marietta, GA
Life vs. W 108
Oakwood University 91
1/24/12 Marietta, GA
Life vs. L 86
Voorhees College 87
1/21/12 Beckley, WV
Life _ L 77
Mountain State University 85
1/17/12 Marietta, GA
Life vs. L 98
Carver College 115
1/14/12 Brunswick, GA
Life _ W 97
Coastal Georgia College 74
1/10/12 Marietta, GA
Life vs. W 81
Faulkner University 69
1/9/12 Marietta, GA
Life vs. W 88 University of Mobile 70
1/7/12 Alpharetta, GA
Life vs. W 7 Auburn University 3
1/4/12 Marietta, GA
Life vs. W 85
Georgetown College 81
12/17/12 Mobile, AL
Life _ L 84
University of Mobile 104
12/17/11 College Station, TX
College Sevens National Championship
Championship Match
Life vs. Central Wash. W 22-17
Semi-final Match
Life vs. Arkansas St. W 21-14
Life vs. Colorado W 27-5
12/16/11 College Station, TX
Life vs. Wisconsin T 17-17
Life vs. Cal Poly W 19-17
Life vs. Texas W 31-0
Jim Reid Classic-Georgetown College
12/10/11 Georgetown, KY
Life vs W 77
Mid-Continent University 76
12/9/11 Georgetown, KY
Life vs L 74
Southern Polytechnic 81
12/6/11 Marietta, GA
Life vs. W 86
University of the Cumberlands 72
11/29/11 Henderson, TN
Life vs. W 83
Freed-Hardeman University 79
11/26/11 Campbellsville, KY
Campbellsville University Classic
Life _ L 70
Campbellsville University 80
11/25/11 Campbellsville, KY
Life vs. L 83
Lindsey Wilson College 99
11/19/11 Marietta, GA
Life vs. L 90
Freed-Hardeman University 100
11/19/11 Orlando, FL
CPD Varsity vs W 64
Nashville 0
11/12/11 Atlanta, GA
CPD Varsity _ W 72
ATL Renegades 0
CPD JV _ W 35
Basketball (3-2)
11/12/11 Marietta, GA
Life vs. L 76
11/7/11 St. Catharine, KY
Life _ L 103
St. Catharine College 107
11/5/11 Marietta, GA
RSL vs W 81
Tampa Krewe 7
CPD vs W 117
Clemson 5
11/5/11 New Albany, IN
IUSE Hall/Crum Classic
Life vs. W 89
Mid-Continent University 77
11/4/11 New Albany, IN
Life vs. W 112
Miami Univeristy-Hamilton 79
10/31/11 Marietta, GA
Carver College 84
10/29/11 Marietta, GA
CPD Varsity & JV vs W 39
Old White 5
10/22/11 Knoxville, TN
CPD Varsity _ W 61
Tennessee 0
CPD JV _ W 39
10/22/11 Marietta, GA
RSL vs W 73
ATL Renegades 10
10/21/11 Greenville, NC
Life vs. L 0
East Carolina 5
10/16/11 Cumming, GA
Life vs L 3
UNF 4
10/15/11 Alpharetta, GA
Life vs L 5
UNF 7
10/1/11 Jacksonville, FL
Life _ W 8
North FL 5
9/30/11 Jacksonville, FL
Life _ L 6
North FL 7
9/24/11 Tallahassee, FL
Sevens South Championship 19-10
2/11/12 LasVegas, NV
Life vs
TBD
2/14/12 Marietta, GA
Life vs. 7:30pm
St. Catharine College
2/16/12 Denmark, SC
Life _ 8:00pm
Voorhees College
2/18/12 Atlanta, GA
RSL _
Atlanta Renegades
2/18/12 Norman, OK
UG _
University of Oklahoma
2/21/12 Selma, AL
Life _ 7:30pm CST
Concordia College
2/23/12 Talladega, AL
Life _ 7:00pm CST
Talladega College
2/27/12 Marietta, GA
College of Coastal Georgia
3/2/12 Marietta, GA
AII Tournament 6pm & 8pm
3/3/12 Raleigh, NC
RSL vs. 1pm
Raleigh
3/3/12 Marietta, GA
UG vs. 1pm
Texas A&M
AII Tournament 4pm & 6pm
3/4/12 Marietta, GA
AII Tournament 4pm
3/10/12 Marietta, GA
Dallas
3/10/12 Charlotte, NC
Notre Dame
3/17/12 Marietta, GA
Arkansas State
3/24/12 New York
NY Old Blue
3/24/12 Marietta, GA
3/31/12 Marietta, GA
RSL vs. 2pm
Boston
4/7/12 College Station, TX
4/14/12 New York
RSL _ 1pm
New York AC
4/14/12 South Bend, IN
UG vs
4/21/12 Dallas, TX
4/21/12 Jonesboro, AR
4/28/12 Marietta, GA
5/5/12 Boston, MA
5/12/12 Marietta, GA
