BLUE MOUNTAIN, Miss. – Blue Mountain Men dropped a thriller here in overtime against Life Saturday, falling 72-70.
The Topper loss spoiled a 24-point, seven-rebound performance from Keevin Etienne.
The Running Eagles saw three players hit scoring double-figures, with Joshua Ward leading with 17 points.
Down 59-58 in the second half with 2:35 left, Blue Mountain's Darien Newchurch drained a three to give his team a two-point lead.
Life would eventually tie it from the foul line 61-61 in regulation to send it to the extra frame at 61-61.
The two teams went back and forth in the overtime period early, as Jalen Boyd-Savage and Etienne both scored big buckets.
Life would eventually seal the win from the free-throw line, as the Toppers couldn't find the bucket.  Vincent Douglas would hit a half-court three with less than two seconds left in the game, but Blue Mountain would have to foul, sending Ward to the free-throw line to finish it off for Life.
Both teams shot the ball extremely well, with Life shooting 48 percent and Blue Mountain shooting 45 percent.
The Topper defense was swarming, forcing 22 Life turnovers.  Blue Mountain would go 5-of-18 from behind the three-point arc and pull down 24 rebounds.
Boyd-Savage would kick in nine points in the loss for the Toppers, while Trae Jones chipped in eight.
BMCU (8-11, 2-9 SSAC) currently sits on a four-game losing streak and returns to SSAC action Monday against Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, Ala. with tip set for 7:30 p.m. CT.
 
 
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