Box Score
DALTON, Ga. – A Roadrunner team led by Donavan Miller grabbed the lead with 16:09 left to play in the first half and never trailed again in their win against Life (Ga.), 81-72. The match experienced several point swings with the Running Eagles tying the game at 31-31 with 1:38 remaining in the first period, but that was not enough to outlast the Birds who shot 54% on the night and almost 60% during the second portion of play.
 
THE FIRST HALF

• Dalton State reached their biggest lead of the first half after a Carterius Evans bucket, extending the deficit (22-11).
• With 5:56 to go before halftime, a 3-pointer from Will Freeman gave Life University a sign of life cutting the difference down from a 9 to 6-point lead.
• The game was even for the first time since the 16:33 mark after Mohamed Elgohary's first 3 of the night, tying the game at (31-31).
• This would turn out to be the closest the Running Eagles would get the rest of the night, with the Roadrunners giving themselves some breathing room going into the second half after a Jaelin Ferrell 3-pointer, and 2 converted free throws from Donavan Miller to extend their lead (38-31).

THE SECOND HALF

• The Roadrunners came out hot after a Kamissoko Boubacar jumper got things going just 30 seconds into the new period.
• Two straight 3-pointers by Jaelin Ferrell stretched the Dalton State lead to 11 (46-35).
• With 13:48 on the clock, the deficit grew to 17 (57-40), which would be the Roadrunner's largest lead of the night after a Carterius Evans bucket.
• Dalton State maintained a 10 point or greater lead until Devin Story made both of his free throws, shrinking the Running Eagle margin to 8 (75-67).
• The Bird's lead was depleted to 3 points with 1:15 remaining in the second half after a converted jumper by Dara Olanade, but an already strong showing for Donavan Miller was concluded after converting multiple last minute free throws, locking up the Roadrunner victory (81-72

THE REST OF THE STORY
Dalton State (Ga.) improves to (13-8 overall, 8-5 SSAC) with the win, while Life (Ga.) falls to (14-6 overall, 7-6 SSAC) with the loss. Thirteen second half points from Donavan Miller proved to be enough for Dalton State. To place the cherry on top, Miller gave Roadrunner fans a sigh of relief after sinking half of his final 4 free throws, all but guaranteeing the victory. Deserving his own credit, Kamissoko Boubacar ended the game with 15 points on top of 4 steals, 6 rebounds and 5 assists.
 
Mohamed Elgohary led Life in scoring with 24 points, shooting 5-8 from beyond the 3-point line. Dara Olanade followed up Elgohary's performance with a double-double, collecting 10 rebounds on top of his 14-point night, while also staying perfect at the free throw line. 

BY THE NUMBERS
The Birds were consistent the entire game going 34-63 (54%) from the field. The Running Eagles shot a respective 46% from the field in the second half, but it was not enough to outdo the impressive 58.6% shot by the Roadrunners during the same period. The two squads maintained similar outcomes regarding other stat categories with Dalton State collecting 31 rebounds compared to Life's 30, and ending dead even in the assist category with 16 each. The efficiency of the Roadrunner offense turned out to be the difference maker.

UP NEXT
DS will have their third of four-straight home games on Saturday, January 28 when they look to gain a victory on homecoming weekend against Middle Georgia State. Tip-Off against the Knights is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. at Mashburn Arena.
 
GET YOUR TICKETS BEFORE THE GATE! Single game tickets are $12 for reserved section or $5 for general admission and can be purchased online before the game or at https://dsroadrunners.com/sports/2021/2/3/hometown-ticketing.aspx.
 
FIND NEWS AND FOLLOW THE BIRDS: News and updates from Dalton State's men's basketball team is posted on dsroadrunners.com and on Twitter (@DStateBBall), Facebook (@DStateBasketball) and Instagram (dstatebball). Be sure to follow to keep pace with the Birds!
 
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