HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The William Carey Men's Basketball Team defeated Life University 102-95 in a thrilling double overtime victory Thursday night at Clinton Gym.
 
"This game was a classic matchup between two good teams," said Head Coach Steve Knight. "25 ties and 25 lead changes is not something you see very often. The only thing that really separated us was our ability to convert from the free throw line and they struggled a little bit. Really happy for our guys! Hopefully, we will continue to play solid basketball down the stretch."
 
In a game that saw 25 ties and 25 lead changes it is no wonder that double overtime was needed to determine a winner. Life opened the scoring with a three pointer with Ashton Campbell and Dylan Brumfield following with back-to-back baskets to get Carey on the board.
 
The battle was on from there with WCU taking their largest lead of the half at 23-17 on back-to-back baskets by Jamar Jenkins with just under ten minutes remaining. However, Life promptly responded with two straight three-point baskets to tie the game again.
 
The next four minutes saw both teams trading shots but with five minutes left in the half and the game tied at 29, Life scored five straights to take the lead again. The Running Eagles maintained the lead for the remainder of the half, taking a 40-34 lead into the break.
 
The Crusaders got going quickly in the second half and just three minutes in, tied the game at 45 on a Randarius Hughes layup. Over the next fifteen minutes both teams continued to battle with neither leading by more than three. With under thirty seconds left in the half and Carey up 82-80 Tyreke Johnson kept Life's hopes alive with a game tying layup.
 
However, there was just enough time on the clock for the Crusaders to get off one last shot. With seconds ticking away, Brumfield drove towards the basket and released the potential game winning layup, but the shot hit off the side of the rim, sending the game into overtime.
 
In the first overtime period, the Running Eagles opened with three straight points, but Cam Brown put the Crusaders back in front with four straight points. Things continued to go back and forth until Carey found themselves trailing 91-88 with under a minute to play. WCU would not be trailing for long though, as Brown converted three free throws to tie the game once again.
 
Just as Carey had enough time for one last shot in regulation, Life had the same opportunity in overtime. As time winded down and the Running Eagles setting up their play, Roberts gave the Crusaders another chance at a game winning shot, as he forced a turnover and quickly raced down the court. Just like in regulation though, the shot missed its mark sending the game into double overtime.
 
Carey seized control of the game in the second overtime building a 97-91 lead with two minutes to play behind a defense that held the Running Eagles without a basket for three and half minutes. Life managed to get within three but WCU quickly erased any hope of a victory, outscoring Life 5-1 over the final minute of the game.
 
Dylan Brumfield led the offense with a career-high 34 points with Ashton Campbell adding 25 points. Cam Brown chipped in 20 points with Randarius Hughes pulling down eleven rebounds.
 
The Crusaders are back in action Saturday, February 1, as they take on Abraham Baldwin Agricultral College. Play is set to begin at 2:00 PM at Clinton Gym.