Men
Sedrick Johnson’s lay-up with eight seconds remaining broke a 57-57 tie and gave Avila a 59-57 win over Evangel on Wednesday in the Ashcroft Center.
Dylan Bekemeier tied the game at 57 with a three-pointer with only 20 seconds remaining before Johnson’s basket 12 seconds later.
Evangel led 23-19 at halftime and built an 11 point lead early in the second half before Avila pulled close with an 8-0 run.
The Eagles pulled down 23 offensive rebounds and had a 44-36 advantage on the glass.
Bekemeier had 16 points to lead Evangel as he went 4 for 6 from three-point range. Cody Geiger had 12 points, all in the second half. Johnson 17 points, 13 of them in the second half. Nixa product Jordan Epps, playing in his first game of the season for the Eagles, also had 17.
“We did some things better but we just gave up too many offensive rebounds,” said Evangel head coach Steve Jenkins. “There were also too many empty possessions. We’re going to look back at tonight and regret some of our turnovers that were just some careless mistakes.”
Evangel dropped to 2-12 and 1-5 in the Heart of America conference. Avila’s win put them at 9-4 and 3-3 in the league.
Evangel travels to fifth-ranked William Penn for their next game on Wednesday. Tipoff is 4 p.m. in Oskaloosa, Iowa.
Women
Evangel hung on for a 45-42 win over Avila at the Ashcroft Center on Wednesday.
The Eagles had a chance to tie the game at the buzzer but Hannah Long’s three-point try from the corner off the mark giving the Crusaders the win.
Evangel survived despite shooting 33 percent from the field hitting 13 of 50 shots and committing 25 turnovers. The Crusaders held Avila to 32 percent shooting, 0 for 8 from three-point ranged and forced 20 turnovers from the Eagles.
“It was a good win for us as I thought Avila gave a great effort and played hard but we found a way to hold on,” said head coach Leon Neal. “I thought our defense carried us as we didn’t take great shots or run great offense, but I was proud of our effort defensively.”
Evangel led 25-17 and at halftime but Avila pulled within a point of the lead, 35-34 after three quarters. Evangel’s biggest lead in the fourth quarter was only four points but they never relinquished the lead in the second half.
Reggine Brown had 15 points to lead Evangel. Raven Bunn had 19 points for Avila to lead all scorers.
Evangel improved to 4-7 and 3-3 in the Heart of America conference. Avila dropped their eleventh straight and fell to 1-12 and 0-6 in the league.
The Crusaders travel to William Penn for their next game on Saturday. Tipoff is 2 p.m. in Oskaloosa, Iowa on Saturday.
