October 26, 2021 – Babson Park, FL –
The University of Fort Lauderdale Eagles entered today’s matchup with a clean slate and this wasn’t just due to the fact that this was a new season of college basketball. UFTL officially became a Division I member of the NCCAA (National Christian College Athletic Association) this past summer and have had a not so friendly welcoming in official collegiate play as their football team has gone 0-5 this season allowing an average of 56.8 points per game. Launching a new program is not an easy task and Webber International University was the overall picked favorite in this NAIA/NCCAA matchup. Webber international University came off a difficult 2020-21 campaign that ended with a 9-21 record and not qualifying for the Sun Conference Post Season Tournament. With Coach Gabriel Rutledge now entering his second season with the Webber Warriors, the pressure has risen for him to produce a winning product.
To begin the game, Webber did exactly what they were expected to do and that is dominate. Webber’s dominance was a product of poor shooting from the UFTL Eagles, as the Eagles shot a dismal 32% from the field in comparison to Webber shooting a healthy 43.3% from the field. Webber was also able to create chaos on the floor resulting in 14 turnovers by UFTL, 11 of them coming from steals. Leading the Warriors in the first half was Loro Natana (8 Pts./ 3 Reb.), Tiyon Martin (7 Pts./ 5 Reb./ 2 Ast./ 2 Stl.), and Jordan Golden (6 Pts./ 3 Stl./ 4 Reb.). The one player that stood out for the UFTL Eagles was the 6’8″ forward from South Sudan, Jongkor Unguec, whom led the Eagles with 11 points, 2 rebounds, a steal, and a block in the first half. The Warriors would have a strong lead at halftime, leading 33-19.
Leading the stellar comeback for UFTL would be Jongkor Unguec, continuing off his success in the first half. Unguec would lead the Eagles in scoring in the second half with 17 points, making 6 out of his 9 shots attempted. UFTL was given many opportunities to completely run away with the game, but the Eagles were plagued at the free throw line, shooting a poor 40% from the line collectively. Webber’s achilles heel was the ability to stay out of foul trouble and protect the ball. Loro Natana’s impact was limited in the final 5 minutes of the game as he was in foul trouble with 4 personal fouls, which affected his usual aggressiveness in the game. Turnovers made it impossible for Webber to bring momentum back their way, losing the ball a total 12 times. UFTL would finally seal the game with a final score of 58-52. Webber International now starts the season 0-1, while the Eagles of UFTL are now 1-0. WIU’s next game will once again be home at the Sabbagh Athletic Center in Babson Park, FL as they face Point University on October 28th, 2021 at 7:30 pm EST. UFTL’s next game will be in Miami Gardens, FL as they face the Lions of Florida Memorial University on October 28th, 2021 at 8 pm EST.
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