ATCHISON, Kan. – A back and forth game saw the Evangel men’s basketball team succumb to the Benedictine Ravens 79-64 Monday night in conference play.
A game that saw six lead changes and five ties, fell in favor of the home team Monday as Benedictine was able to pull away in the second half.
The Crusaders took a 41-33 lead into the locker room at halftime, however, Evangel shot an uncharacteristically low percentage at the free throw line in the second half going 6-of-11 to finish at 61 percent in the game.
Evangel struggled inside as the Ravens outscored the Crusaders 50-28 in the pain and limited second chance opportunities. Benedictine outrebounded Evangel 46-27 but committed 17 turnovers helping keep the game close.
Nick Yocum finished with a game-high 20 points for the Crusaders, while Josue Levy added 12 points and eight boards.
Benedictine was led by Andre Yates’ 19 points as Adam Kutney added 17 points and seven rebounds.
The Evangel women’s basketball team fell to red-hot and 15th-ranked Benedictine, 70-51, Monday night in Heart of America Athletic Conference action.
The Crusaders jumped out to an early lead to start the game, but the Ravens, who have won 10 straight, went on a 12-0 run over four minutes in the first quarter and never looked back. Evangel would pull within a point at 14-13 at the 2:44 mark in the first quarter, however, Benedictine responded again to take a 43-29 lead into halftime.
Led by 14 points from Reggine Brown, Evangel shot just 33 percent from the field in the loss. Teammate Allison Swanson joined Brown in double figures with 12 points and five rebounds.
Benedictine shot 66 percent from the field in the first half and over 50 percent for the game for its tenth consecutive win.
The Ravens were led by Serena Parker who scored a game-high 17 points. Parker was one of four players for Benedictine to finish in double figures as Kristin Murphy added 12 points and five assists.
