The Red Lions men’s basketball team opened their season on Monday evening at Lincoln Christian University, as they hosted Central Christian College of the Bible (CCCB) out of Moberly, MO. It was a great home opener for LCU, as they pulled away in the second half for an 81 – 73 win.
The first half started rough for LCU as they struggled to find the bottom of the net, however, their defense kept them in the game and they limited CCCB (0-2) to only 15 points within the first 11 minutes of play. In the last nine minutes of the first half, CCCB went on a run, scoring 26 points and taking a 41-33 lead into halftime.
LCU responded in the second half by slowly chipping away at the lead. By the 10-minute mark, LCU recovered from the deficit and began taking control of the game leaving CCCB to play catch up. LCU scored 48 points in the second half while they limited CCCB to 32 points. In this half, both the defense and offense came alive to carry LCU to a victory.
LCU senior forward David Graves (Eustace, TX/Eustace High) led his team with 26 points on 10-15 shooting, while going 3-5 from the three point line. Sophomore forward Ray Shegog (Sun River Terrace, IL/Lincoln College) followed up Graves by scoring 16 points of his own on 7-12 shooting, including 5 rebounds. Freshman guard Jimmy Smylie (Springfield, IL/Calvary Academy) chipped in 15 points on 5-10 shooting. CCCB was led by freshman guard, Adam Rabke (Houston, TX/Homeschool), who scored 18 points on 7-10 shooting, including 4-7 from the 3 point line. Forward Victor Dean (Houston, TX/Eisenhower High School) chipped in 15 points on 6-10 shooting, along with six rebounds.