WAXAHACHIE, Texas — A strong and gritty effort Friday evening helped the No. 15 seed Evangel Valor men’s basketball team to a 91-76 upset of No. 2 seed Florida Memorial in the first round of the NAIA National Tournament.
Evangel advances to the second round and will play Baker on Saturday.
A hot start saw the Valor jump out to a 9-0 run and never look back. The Lions pulled within six points with just over 11 minutes left in the first half, however, back-to-back three-pointers from Carson Cavalier pushed the lead back to 12 with 9:38 left.
Evangel’s hot start was aided by senior Josh Pritchett who finished with a game-high 20 points. Pritchett added eight assists as the Valor shot 60 percent in the first half.
The toughness from the Valor held Florida Memorial to just 46 percent shooting and forced 17 turnovers.
Pritchett would knock down a pair of three-pointers in the final minute of the half to help Evangel take a 51-34 lead into the break. The Lions had five players finish in double figures and were led by Latavious Mitchell’s 17 points.
The second half was more Valor as Josh Mason’s three at the 17:39 mark gave Evangel a 20-point lead. Mason was the second-leading scorer for Evangel with 18 points.
The Lions would threaten late in the second half getting as close as 11 points, however, the Valor answered each time. Garrett Davault scored six of his 17 points in the final three minutes help Evangel keep a double-digit lead. Davault led the Valor with five rebounds and added four assists.
The win is the second first-round win for Evangel under head coach Bert Capel after a win in the first round last season against Iowa Wesleyan.
Evangel will play Baker who knocked off host SAGU, 74-71, at the Sheaffer Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
