Fever start strong but can't finish Empire in 53-51 IFL road loss

The Tri-Cities Fever got off to an early lead Friday but couldn’t hold on, suffering a 53-51 loss to the Spokane Empire in IFL action.

The Fever (3-6) led 31-18 at halftime before the hosts exploded over the final two quarters.

The Empire (7-1) scored two quick touchdowns in the second half to take the lead, then held a 53-42 edge with 11:42 left in the game.

The Fever responded with a character drive. They recovered their own fumble on a sack that would have snuffed the push. Then Pat McCain hit Akeem Foster on a 19-yard TD pass with 10:47 to play. The 2-point conversion and the ensuing rouge pulled Tri-Cities within two points, but neither team could get on the board after that.

The Fever made a final push, but Spokane came up with an interception in the end zone to snuff out a potential winning drive.

Tri-Cities moved the ball well in the first half. DeJuan Miller and Foster caught TD passes from McCain, and McCain also ran for a 1-yard score as the Fever opened a 20-12 lead early in the second quarter and kept the margin at 13 heading into the half.

Further details were not available Friday night.

This story was originally published April 29, 2016 at 10:55 PM with the headline "Fever start strong but can't finish Empire in 53-51 IFL road loss."