The Covenant College men's basketball team beat Alice Lloyd College 85-71 on Saturday afternoon in Appalachian Athletic Conference play as sophomore guard Josh Suddath scored 23 points, with seven rebounds and seven assists, and senior forward Mark Lovrien had 21 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists.
The Scots (10-13, 9-9) started out with tenacious defense but trailed for much of the first half. Despite Alice Lloyd's fierce offensive attack, the Scots kept it close and the score stood 34-34 at halftime. In the second half, Covenant hit eight of 13 three-pointers and all nine of their free throw attempts to pull away for the win.
In addition to Suddath and Lovrien, the Scots got 12 points, seven boards, five assists and three steals from junior guard Nate Beers and junior guard Jon McClellan knocked down three treys for his nine points. Covenant out-rebounded the Eagles 39-33, and handed out 25 assists with only 19 turnovers. The Eagles (12-15, 5-12) were led by Jeremy Daniels with 15 points and K.J. Waterman who added 14.
Covenant returns to action next weekend with AAC road games at UVA-Wise next Friday night at 7:30, and then Saturday night at Bluefield with a 6:00 tip-off.
In the women's game, sophomore guard Rebekah Smith scored 18 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, and handed out five assists, as the Covenant College women's basketball team beat Alice Lloyd College 94-52 on Saturday afternoon in Appalachian Athletic Conference action.
The Lady Scots (9-14, 9-9) opened with a 10-0 run as Covenant looked smooth in everything they did. On offense, the Lady Scots had their way with Alice Lloyd, swinging the ball around the perimeter to create open shots. In the first half, the Lady Scots shot 66% from the field. Defensively, the Lady Scots stifled the Lady Eagles both inside and outside, as Covenant led 49-22 at the half.
Four Lady Scots scored in double figures with sophomore center Michaela Ibach scoring 11 points with seven rebounds, while sophomore forward Jen Van Groningen added 10 points and six boards. Junior guard Joanna Reitz scored 10 points, senior guard Kara Smith had nine, and freshman small forward Laura Grady had eight points and nine rebounds, as all 13 Covenant players played, and scored.
The Lady Eagles (2-21, 1-17) were led by freshman guard Whitney Lykins with 20 points and junior guard Jessica Justice with nine.
Covenant has a bit of a break, and then returns to action with two AAC road games next weekend, at UVA-Wise on Friday night at 5:30, and at Bluefield College on Saturday afternoon at 4:00.