LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN, Ga. -- Covenant men's basketball saw an 18-point lead evaporate in the second half, as Asbury shot 53.3 percent from distance to win, 91-88, at Barnes PE Center on Friday evening.

Pierce Smith had 17 points to lead the Scots, while Logan Patterson (15), Luuk Dusek (13), and Derrius Teagle (11) also contributed double figures.

The first half opened with the Eagles (5-15, 3-4 CCS) scoring the first seven points, prompting a Josh Brown timeout. Covenant (7-13, 2-5 CCS) retorted with an astounding 17 unanswered, eight of which came from Teagle.

The Scots' 10 point lead would be chipped away at by Asbury, who eventually came back to take a two point lead with 5:22 to go in the half on a Jonathan Combs three. After some back and forth, the Scots appeared to gain the upper hand, scoring five straight to take a five point lead at the break.

Covenant kept up their run into the second half, rattling off 13 more unanswered points to lead by 18 with 17:15 to go. Patterson was key in that stretch, scoring the last eight by himself.

The Eagles would alter their strategy from then on, using the 3-pointer to quickly get themselves back in it. Four consecutive threes helped spark a 15-1 run midway through the half, as they tied it up at 68 with 9:34 to go.

The Scots were able to cobble together a quick 6-0 run in response, getting a three from Bolton Born and an and-1 from Dusek. However, the Eagles kept finding ways to chip away, eventually going up 91-85 with 13 seconds to go. 

There was some drama in the final seconds, as Patterson hit a desperation three to make it a one-possession game, followed by a pair of missed free throws by Asbury. Unfortunately, the Scots could not launch a final shot, allowing the Eagles to win it.

Combs had 22 points to lead Asbury, while Tyler Hall added 15 and Aaron Thompson had 13.

UP NEXT

The Scots host Huntingdon tomorrow at 4 p.m. inside Barnes PE Center.

CONNECT WITH THE SCOTS

Be sure to follow the Scots all season long on athletics.covenant.edu and on social media at Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for up-to-date scores, news and other information.