Carolina University Men’s Basketball secured a 75–70 win over Alice Lloyd College in their Central Atlantic Conference (CAC) opener on Tuesday night at Williams Gymnasium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The victory marked an important step for the Bruins, who had started the season with a 2–8 record, while Alice Lloyd entered the game at 3–8.
The first half was closely contested, with both teams exchanging baskets and defensive stops. Carolina trailed by three points at halftime, down 38–35. However, after the break, the Bruins outscored Alice Lloyd 40–32 in the second half. Their depth was a key factor as thirteen players saw action and contributed to a total of 32 bench points. Carolina also dominated rebounding with a margin of 47–27.
On offense, Carolina shot 43.4% from the field and made frequent trips to the free-throw line. Freshman guard DJ Evans led all scorers for Carolina with 15 points. Tristan Kuska added 13 points and Da’Shaun Stigler came off the bench to contribute 14 points. Conrad Linhart made three three-pointers and finished with nine points.
Defensively, Carolina forced Alice Lloyd into 16 turnovers and converted those into 15 points.
Head Coach Jacob Heck commented on his team’s effort: “It was big for us to get a win against a conference opponent tonight. It was not always pretty, but we have been preaching tough and gritty, which we saw tonight. The whole staff is proud of this group for battling through the tough early games, and we think we are starting to turn the corner at just the right time.”
With this win, Carolina improves its overall record to 3–8 and starts CAC play at 1–0. The team will have a week off before traveling to face Montreat College on December 16.
