November 18, 2006

Livingstone Dominates 2^nd Half for 80-66 Win Over Allen

Salisbury, NC – Livingstone (1-2 overall) recovered from a lackluster first half and outpaced the Yellow Jackets of Allen University 80-66. The Blue Bears settled into a style of play that helped them come from eight behind to down four at the half, 26-30. Michael Duncan, who averages 20.7 points per game in three games, led the way for Livingstone with 24. The spark of energy that fueled the Blue Bears came from Brent Cowles who finished with 22 points.

The game began with a tortuous pace that featured a lot of zone play and outside shooting. Midway through the first half, Allen (0-3 overall) held an eight point advantage over the Blue Bears.  At 4:07 lingering in the half, the Blue Bears went on a 9-4 run in 1:09. Senior Brent Cowles (Charlotte, NC) sparked the run which converted the Blue Bears style of play to the fast paced. In the run time span, Cowles made two steals which converted to two fast break lay-ups and nailed a big three-pointer. The points accounted for seven of the nine-point run.

For the first half, the Blue Bears shot 34.4% (11of 32) from the floor to Allen’s 45% (9 of 20).  LC made 3 of 10 (30%) from the charity stripe to the Yellow Jackets 76.9% (10 of 13). Livingstone’s field goal percentage improved to 45.2% for the game due to improved shot selections (17 of 30 in the 2^nd half). Allen’s percentage dropped to 39.2%.

Livingstone will travel to Bluefield, West Virginia for a non-conference double-header against Bluefield State. Live stats will be available at http://athletics.livingstone.edu.