A big second half and clutch defense at the end helped TCJ Eagles Men's Basketball come back from a 10-point deficit to overtake the Blazers of USCAA Beacon College on Tuesday. Although outshot percentage-wise throughout the game, the Eagles sank 10 free throws, thwarted the Blazers in the final moments, and got 19 points from Diego Fernandez in the second half on route to the 68-63 win.

The deficit reached its peak at 37-27 with 17:52 left in the game after Beacon scored the first 8 points of the second half. Before long, Beacon led 41-32 with 15:39 remaining. Over the next 5:12, the Eagles outscored Beacon 15-6 to tie the score at 47-all with 10:27 left to play. The teams traded layups and single free throws to 50-50 before Trinity took the lead for good. Fernandez broke the tie with a layup; DJ Thompson, Jayden Little, Tayden Owens, and Sherrard Adams all scored in a 10-5 run, but the Blazers would not go away. 

Fernandez (4) and Beacon's Chris Lampkins (2) scored the next 6 points at the line. Then, Beacon's Tre'Von Redd hit a deuce and a three to make the score 64-63 Trinity with 50 seconds left. The Eagles scored the final 4 points on a layup from Fernandez and free throws from Fernandez and Little to secure the win.

The go-ahead shot with 8:34 left to play was the first lead for the Eagles since 5-3. Beacon built a 9-point lead at 23-14. Trinity scored 6 straight points before Beacon rebuilt a 26-20 lead. The Eagles finished the first half on a 7-4 stint that featured a Derek Rivers three-pointer and a Brandon Hill tip-in to make the gap only two at 29-27 at halftime. 

Fernandez totaled 28 points (second overall) on 9 baskets (3 threes) and 7 free throws. Hill scored 8 points, all in the paint. Owens and Adams each finished with 7, Thompson tallied 6, and Rivers drained a pair of threes for 6 while Little contributed 4 and Shadrack Kakora added 2. 

Redd led all scorers with 29 points with 12 of them coming from three-point range; he sank 12 shots overall from the field. Javeon Wells-Reddick followed with 10, and Lampkins scored 9 in his first collegiate game. 

The Eagles will visit Trinity College of Florida for an afternoon affair that starts at 2:00 p.m. on Monday, January 19. The next three are all at home against South Region competition: Bob Jonmes University on January 24, Southeastern Baptist College on January 31, and Pensacola Christian College on February 3.