#6 Roadrunners Fall To #9 Running Eagles

In a battle of top ranked teams, #6 Dalton State fell to #9 Life (Ga.) 72-71 in overtime at the Eagles Nest in Marietta, Ga. on Tuesday night.

It would be a back and forth battle early with both teams trading the lead. The Roadrunners would take command at the 15:31 mark on a three from Deshawn Ruffin to go up 11-10.

Dalton State would gradually extend the lead, growing the margin to 13-points with 6:09 left in the half on layup by Sean Chislom.

The Roadrunners would maintain a double-digit margin throughout the rest of the half. A late bucket from Malik Pugh cut the lead to eight at 38-30 for the Roadrunners as the teams headed into the half.

The Roadrunners would continue to lead throughout the second half. Life would cut the lead to three with 11:04 remaining, but Dalton State would put together a quick 6-0 run to stretch the lead back to nine. The Birds would hold an eight point lead 3:38 remaining, but Life would begin to chip away down the stretch.

A David Scott layup with 38 seconds remaining cut the deficit to three at 62-59. A missed free throw, coupled with two untimely turnovers saw the Running Eagles tie the game at 62-62 with 15-seconds to go. Each team would have a chance to win the game in regulation, but both would turn the ball over as the clock hit zero with the game tied at 62-62.

The extra period would be the Zach Landis show for Life. He would make the first basket to put the Running Eagles up by two early. A Deshawn Ruffin three on the next possession shifted the momentum to the Roadrunners momentarily, but Landis would get a second chance on Life's next possession to put the Running Eagles up by one.

The teams would trade the lead six more times in the waning minutes of the contest. The backbreaker for the Roadrunners would be a layup by Landis with 29 seconds left as the Running Eagles would hold on for a slim 72-71 victory.

#6 Dalton State falls to (4-2 overall) on the young season, while #9 Life (Ga.) improves to (5-2 overall). Sean Chislom lead the Roadrunners in scoring with 20 points and six rebounds. Reed Dungan had 18 points and four rebounds, while Deshawn Ruffin added 14 points.

Zach Landis led the Running Eagles with 18 points and 17 rebounds. Landis would score all 10 of Life's points in the overtime period. Ivan Benkovic and Malik Pugh added 13 and 10 points respectively.

The #6-ranked Roadrunners will get a few days of rest before traveling to Atlanta to face Carver (Ga.) on Saturday. Tip-Off is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.