LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN, Ga. - The LaGrange College Men's Basketball Team (4-11, 0-3 Collegiate Conference of the South) found themselves on the losing end of an emotional roller coaster of a game, falling on the road to the Covenant College Scots (6-6, 1-0 CCS) in a 86-84 final.

Game Summary
Things didn't start in an ideal fashion for the Panthers, as Covenant opened the contest with an 8-1 run. The visiting red and black were able to overcome the early adversity, however, battling right back to make it 8-6 after five minutes of play. After falling behind by as much as 11, the Panthers decided it was well-past time to kick their offense into the next gear, bringing the deficit down to six with 8:30 remaining in the opening half. Foreshadowing their finish to the game, LC put together a dominant 15-2 run late in the half to take a 35-32 lead. LaGrange continued to roll, extending their advantage to 48-38, as they were well on their way to what seemed like their first huge win of the season. In a defiant effort, however, an 8-0 run from the Scots in the final minute of the first half cut the lead down to three as the Panthers entered the intermission up 48-45.

The Panthers suddenly found themselves struggling to continue their success from the first half, as Covenant jumped out to a 58-52 lead in the first four minutes of the second. Things would collapse even further for LC as the Scots increased their lead to 11 with under 10 minutes remaining in the contest. With the Panthers' recent shooting struggles continuing late in the game, the hosts were well-game to take advantage, as they led 81-69 with under five minutes to go.

What happened next was one of the gutsiest and most heart-driven efforts of the season from the LaGrange College Panthers, as they rattled off 15 straight points to tie the game at 84-84 with six seconds left in the game. With the ferocious comeback surge giving them new life, LC was hopeful they could get one more stop and possession to potentially steal the game. Unfortunately for the Panthers, controversy struck late as Covenant was awarded a basket due to an alleged goaltend, forcing LaGrange into a must-make three-point attempt in order to win the game. LC nearly drained the game-winning three-pointer, but the shot rattled in and out at the last second as the Scots held on to win 86-84.

Panther of the Game 
Devin Dowell led the Panthers offensively, scoring 17 points with a pair of respective assists and rebounds on the evening for the LaGrange native.

Up Next
The Panthers hit the court again on Tuesday (Jan. 14) when they travel to Demorest, Ga to take on the Piedmont University Lions at 7 p.m. For links to stream the contest and live stats, click here.