The Benedictine Mesa Men's Basketball Team fought hard but ultimately fell to Life Pacific, 52-63, on Thursday evening.
The scoring began with a free throw by Damian Zivak, followed by a jumper from Tanner Crawford to give Benedictine an early 3-0 lead. The action intensified as Vince Fier hit a three-pointer to tie the game, followed by another three from Rico Hopping, putting Life Pacific ahead, 6-3. Benedictine responded with Malik Payton converting free throws to narrow the gap. Despite some missed opportunities, the Redhawks extended their lead with a layup from Dylan Cabs and a jumper from Hopping, bringing the score to 10-5. The teams exchanged blows, culminating in a thrilling dunk by Payton that gave Benedictine a 17-13 lead.
Dylan Cabs tied the game at 19-19 with a jumper after an offensive rebound. The lead continued to change hands, with Hopping hitting another three-pointer to extend Benedictine's lead to 24-19. D'Andre Johnson responded for Life Pacific, narrowing the gap to 24-21. Cabs contributed significantly, hitting a layup to widen the gap to 28-21, but both teams struggled to find their rhythm. As the half wound down, Vince Fier hit two free throws to extend the lead to 30-23, but a crucial three-pointer from Zivak brought Benedictine within four points at 30-26. The half concluded with Albert Matute adding points from the free-throw line, leaving the score at 35-31 as the teams headed into halftime.
In the opening minutes of the second half, Benedictine increased their intensity. Cabs followed with another jumper, making it 39-33 before Deven Franks answered back for Life Pacific. Life maintained momentum with a layup from Rico Hopping, pushing the score to 41-35. Although Benedictine struggled with turnovers, a dunk from Emad Elniel reignited their momentum, prompting a Life Pacific timeout with the score at 41-39. After the break, a layup from Vince Fier increased the lead to 43-39, and a layup from Zach Murphy later gave Life Pacific a 49-41 advantage, concluding the first ten minutes of the half at 51-43.
In the final stretch of the second half, Tanner Crawford hit a jumper to narrow the gap to 51-45. Despite missed shots from Zach Murphy, Lenox Lavallee made a layup followed by a free throw to extend the lead to 54-45. Cabs added another layup, pushing the score to 56-45. Benedictine struggled to find their rhythm, but Crawford managed a free throw, bringing it to 56-46. However, as the clock ticked down, Cabs nailed a three-pointer, extending the score to 63-50. Despite a late push from Benedictine and a jumper from Zivak, the Life Pacific defense held firm, concluding the game with a 63-52 victory for Life Pacific.
Key Performers:
Up Next: The Redhawks return to action on Saturday, February 1st, as they face Hope International.
