Photo via @ming.pix

Written by: Justin Darden, Sports Producer 

A game controlled by Livingstone College in the first half quickly fell into LeMoyne-Owen College’s control, leading to a double-digit win for LeMoyne-Owen College. 

The second game of HBCU All-Star Challenge weekend in Atlanta, Georgia, did not disappoint, with Lemoyne Owen winning 79-67. Each team played tenacious defense, constantly switching between zone and man-to-man throughout the game. 

Livingstone played in the paint for most of the first half, dominating Lemoyne Owen in the post in their half-court offense. Their guard play would give them an advantage as Khyree Temple and Pharoah Lassiter would combine for 19 of Livingston’s 31 points at the half. 

Meanwhile, Lemoyne Owen tried to find their balance on offense, only shooting 30% from the field and 15% from three. But In the second half, three-point shooting would be the crucial difference for Lemoyne Owen on offense and defense. 

“Let yall’s game do the talking,” Owen’s Head coach, Antonio Harris, said to his players during the game.  

Owen’s second-half shooting was a game-changer in transition, and this was due to the help of forward Christian Wells, who had a game-high 24 and shot 10 for 19 from the field. 

“They were trying to play a 2:3 zone. We read that kind of late,” Wills said, explaining why they had trouble with shooting and turnovers in the first half. “We got going later in the game, and we just started breaking through and got easy looks.

Transition defense and Lemoyne Owen’s relentless man-to-man defensive energy affected Livingston’s ability to stay in the game down the stretch in crucial moments. With over five minutes left in the game, Lemoyne Owen showed their fitness to the end, as Livingston showed signs of fatigue.  Only six players from Livingstone played more than nine minutes in this game.

In a game where both sides depended on their pressuring defense as their offenses struggled, Lemoyne Owen showed their resistance to giving up, moving them to a 2-1 record for the year. 

Copy edited by: Kobe Scales, Sports Editor