LU Athletics

Watching the games between the Langston University Lions and the Texas Wesleyan University Rams are equivalent to watching a scene in a movie. There is always a tight score with less than five seconds on the clock. But tonight, the Lions weren’t the heroes in the movie. The Rams defeated the Lions 60-58 on a tipped-in shot at the buzzer.

Both teams shot poorly the first half, but the Rams went on a 20-8 run to end the first half and take a 24-22 lead into the locker room. The second half saw six lead changes and six ties before junior Kennith Gober hit yet another big shot for TWU.

With 44 seconds left in the game and the Lions down by two, senior point guard Phillip Brooks drove to the hole, hit the runner, and was fouled. Brooks put the Lions up by one after hitting his free-throw. Brooks would finish the game with 18 points. A quick foul later, the TWU was on the free throw line where Fred Eshon, the Rams best free-throw shooter, would go one for two and knot the game at 58-58. In their final possession, the Lions were unable to get a shot off and instead turned over the ball. The Rams nearly turned over the ball too, but a jump ball gave the Rams one last chance with just three seconds left on the clock. The first shot for the Rams rimmed out, but Gober was there to tip it in as time expired on the clock.

Gober, known for hitting game-winning shots, had 14 points on the night, but the Rams were led by Eshon, who came off the bench to score 18.

The loss dropped the Lions to 8-10 overall on the season and 4-6 in conference play. Langston will hit the road this weekend to face Huston-Tillotson University in Austin, Tex. on February 9th and Houston Baptist University in Houston on February 11th. The Lions will be back in the den on February 16th to face Jarvis Christian College. Game time will be at 7:30 p.m.