Basketball Recap: Cory Dirden Leads a Balanced Attack to Beat Hardin-Jefferson

There's no place like home for Livingston, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Friday. They narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past the Hardin-Jefferson Hawks 64-62. The Lions have seen this before: they got the W the last time they saw the Hawks, too.

Livingston got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Cory Dirden out in front who almost dropped a double-double on 14 points and nine rebounds. The dominant performance also gave Dirden a new career-high in blocks (six). Another player making a difference was Ziekus Garner, who went 6 for 13 on his way to 12 points along with seven boards and six assists.

Livingston was working as a unit and finished the game with 14 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Hardin-Jefferson only racked up eight assists.

Hardin-Jefferson's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Aiden Price, who went 6 of 15 en route to 18 points and five rebounds. Price continues to improve, besting his previous point total in each of the last four games he's played. Samuel Jones was another key player, dropping a double-double on ten points and 11 boards.

Livingston's win bumped their record up to 15-10. As for Hardin-Jefferson, they have also traveled a rocky road recently having lost five of their last six games, which put a noticeable dent in their 8-12 record this season.

Livingston didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next matchup, a 77-55 victory against Shepherd on the 10th. As for Hardin-Jefferson, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next contest, a 65-58 defeat against O'Connell on the 10th.