January 19, 2008

 

     Barbourville, KY—The Men’s Basketball program at Bryan College has had a tough year, playing great basketball and still only playing slightly less than .500 basketball on the year. After a big win on the road at Covenant last Saturday, the men headed to Barbourville, Kentucky on Tuesday to take on the Union College Bulldogs in another key AAC matchup. At this stage of the season, every game is a “must-win” for Lions Head Coach Don Rekoske and his team. The Injury “bug” has bitten the Lions as of late, with some nagging injuries that have hindered the Lions’ ability to be consistent in the second half of the season.

     Heading into Tuesday night’s contest the Lions record was 8-10 and 2-5 in AAC Play. Union sat at 13-7 while being 3-5 in the AAC. A win and the Lions could make a push back towards the middle of the pack, a loss and they would further entrench themselves toward the lower end of the standings.

     Tuesday night’s game was a tale of two halves, as Bryan jumped out to and early 23-7 lead, shooting 60% from the floor in the first half, while holding Union to just 36%. The Lions were led by Charlie Lytle all night, as the freshman had one of his better games of the year. Lytle would finish the night with 19 points and 12 rebounds to pace the Lions. Bryan shot 6 of 11 from beyond the arc in the first half, en route to a 37-27 halftime lead.

     The second half was all Union, as the Bulldogs battled back and shot 50% from the floor. The biggest reason for the Bulldogs comeback was 22 Lions’ turnovers which allowed Union the opportunity to give themselves a chance to win. The two teams battled down the stretch as the Lions and Bulldogs traded 3- point baskets as the clock ticked down. Charlie Lytle hit a huge 3-pointer with 3 seconds left in regulation to force overtime.

     The overtime period was dominated by Union as the Bulldogs built a 6 point lead on three different occasions. Each time, the Lions would fight back, getting to within three points with less than a minute remaining. Bryan had 2 looks at the basket as time expired, but neither shot fell and the Lions walked off the floor with a heartbreaking 3 point overtime loss, 82-79.

    In addition to Charlie Lytle, Bryan was also led by Mike Lytle who added 16 points, 7 rebounds and 10 assists. Lytle continues to rank among the top assists leaders in the country in NAIA Division II. Lions’ freshman Derek Batt came off the bench to add 11 points and 5 rebounds.  Bryan will take the floor again Wednesday night as AAC #2 King College comes to Summers Gymnasium. Tip-Off is scheduled for 7:30 PM.