CARLINVILLE, Ill. - Spalding nearly earned the team's first St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) win of 2023 before ultimately falling 71-67 to Blackburn on Saturday evening.

The Golden Eagles fell to 1-11 overall and 0-2 in league play with the loss. The Beavers are now 5-8 overall and 1-1 in the SLIAC.

TURNING POINT

Spalding held the lead three times early in the first half. The Eagles then fell behind by as many as 10 points but a 5-0 run, capped by an Anthony Dillard free throw, cut the lead to one.

After not holding the lead since the 18:05 mark of the first half the Golden Eagles took the lead less than 30 seconds into the final half courtesy of a Jacoby Johnson 3-pointer. 

The back-and-forth nature of the game continued as the teams saw 11 lead changes and eight ties.

Spalding took a one-point lead with a basket and made free throw by Johnson, but the visiting team could not stop a 5-0 run by Blackburn to give the home-standing Beavers the 71-67 win.

GOLDEN EAGLE NOTES

• Jacoby Johnson and Anthony Dillard each had a team-high 14 points. The scoring output was the season high for Johnson.

• Dillard tied his season-high in assists with three.

• Four Golden Eagles scored in double figures.

• Spalding won the battle in the paint with 40 points in the paint compared to the Beaver's 32.

• The 52.9 percent night from the field was the best performance for the Golden Eagles so far this season.

NEXT FOR SPALDING