SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The Evangel men's basketball team returns home Saturday for its home conference opener against Missouri Valley.

OPENING STORYLINES

► Evangel returns to the Ashcroft Center for the first time since Nov. 11 as the Crusaders host Missouri Valley on Saturday.

► Evangel leads the all-time series with Missouri Valley 62-29 as the Vikings won both meetings last season.

► Freshman Justin Washington leads Evangel at 17 ppg and 8.7 rpg after scoring 18 points at Missouri State.

► Evangel has improved its strength in rebounding as Washington and Jalen Norman both rank in the top 20 nationally in rebounding.

► In six of the eight losses for the Crusaders, only two has been by more than eight points with an 86-64 loss at Missouri Baptist on Nov. 13 and the 80-48 loss at Missouri State.

LOOKING AHEAD

Evangel hosts College of the Ozarks Tuesday night in the second meeting of the Rib Crib Highway 65 Shootout. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

For the latest information on Evangel Athletics, follow the Crusaders on Facebook at Facebook.com/EvangelAthletics or go to www.EvangelAthletics.com. Fans can also receive updates on the team by downloading the Go Evangel Front Row App at EvangelAthletics.com/FrontRow available on Google Play and in the App Store.

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