Rockford, Ill. - It had been one month to the day, but the ICC men's basketball team (6-8) had a true road game in front of them, taking on the Rock Valley Golden Eagles (9-8). It was the return of a home-and-home series that saw Rock Valley win by 18 points at Ramsey Gym. This go-around, it was a much different story. All the way down to the closing seconds, the Golden Eagles would hold on for a 73-71 win. 

All the way through the end of the game, neither team held a double figure lead. There were 10 ties and eight lead changes, so perhaps it's no surprise to find out the game was tied at 32 going into the halftime locker room. 

Kyle Belgrave came up with a big three-point with 17 seconds remaining in the game. The Golden Eagles countered by missing two free throws. That set up the opportunity for ICC to either force overtime or walk it off. Amariyae Wilson found just enough space to drive though the lane for a contested buzzer-beater attempt, but it would not fall, and Rock Valley came away with the two-point win. 

STATISTICAL LEADERS
LaColis Ashby Jr. | 34 points, 16 rebounds, 5 blocks, 1 steal
Joshua Shannon | 10 points, 1 rebound, 1 assist
Jeremiah Welch | 8 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 assist, 1 block
Courtland Soll | 6 points, 6 assists, 1 rebound, 1 block

WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE COUGARS
Thursday, January 12th, 2023
@ Olivet Nazarene University JV
McHie Arena - Bourbonnais, Ill. 
7:00 PM Tipoff
Watch Live (Tiger Sports Network)