Riverside, Calif. - The Golden Eagles men's basketball team salvaged a split this week, with a loss to San Diego Christian College, 69-82, and a win over Chapman University, 73-70. It was the first win of the young season for the Golden Eagles who moved their record to 1-3. It was the first of two meetings between the Golden Eagles and both of their opponents this week. La Sierra will visit San Diego Christian, next week, on November 20. Their next game, following the contest at San Diego Christian, will be another non-conference road game at Chapman, on Thursday, November 29.
SDCC def. La Sierra, 82-69
Turnovers and missed opportunities from the free throw line, made it difficult for the Golden Eagles to erase a 38-31 halftime deficit and come away with the victory over the Hawks. San Diego Christian finished the game with more free throws made (27), than the Golden Eagles attempted (26), including three more three-point field goals made than La Sierra, which proved to be the difference in the game.
Sophomore guard DJ Everage led the team in scoring and assists, with 20 point and four assists, off of the bench. Kyle Hamilton shot 7-of-11, to finish with 18 points in addition to six rebounds, three steals, and two assists. Kenny Lewis just missed his first double-double of the season as he contributed a team-high 11 rebounds to go along with nine points.
La Sierra def. Chapman, 73-70
In a game that consisted of 23 lead changes and nine tie scores, the Golden Eagles picked up their first victory of the season by erasing an eight-point deficit, early in the second half. The win was just the second win in the program's history over Chapman University, snapping an 11-game losing streak to the Panthers, dating back to February 11, 2012, when La Sierra defeated Chapman, 80-77.
Hamilton, who shot 7-for-12, led the team with 18 points, seven rebounds, and six assists. Duane Darrett Jr. connected on 4-of-6 field goal attempts, all three-point shots, to finish with 12 points. Lewis matched the point total with 12 points, which included the go-ahead three-point field in the final minutes and a free-throw in the final seconds to put the team up by three points.
The team finished with a season-high 21 assists on 28 field goals and a season-low 13 turnovers, but struggled from the charity stripe as they converted just nine of 17 attempts.
The men's basketball team returns to action on Tuesday night, at 730pm, when they travel to Life Pacific College for a non-conference match-up.
