The Basics
Score: Evangel 71, Missouri Valley 70
Records: Evangel (8-9, 7-5), Missouri Valley (6-11, 4-8)
Location: Ashcroft Center

Box Score

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Edriel Martinborough's go-ahead layup with 6.2 seconds left in regulation lifted Evangel to a heart-stopping 71-70 Heart of America Athletic Conference victory over Missouri Valley Wednesday evening at the Ashcroft Center.

Martinborough used a double screen to beat an MVC defender to the lane and lofted the game-winner just beyond the reach of Vikings 7-footer Jonathan Hall, moments after the visitors had taken a one-point lead on a clutch floater in the paint from freshman Jace Lance.

After Martinborough missed a free throw and the chance to complete a three-point play, Lance's desperation 35-foot heave as time expired glanced off the back of the rim, clinching the Crusaders' first win since Dec. 12. The victory stopped a five-game slide for the Crusaders and improved their Heart Conference mark to 7-5.

EU overcame 19 turnovers and a 4-for-22 showing from three-point range to prevail on the heels of a seesaw second half that featured five ties and 14 lead changes. Cade Coffman poured home a game-high 29 points, including 21 in the opening half, and Martinborough scored 18 to lead Evangel.

Coffman fueled a 16-9 Crusader run late in the first half with a personal string of 10-consecutive points that turned a 22-22 contest into a seven-point Evangel lead. The junior All-American accounted for 15 of EU's final 19 points in the half, including his third triple of the half with 31 seconds left on the clock to send the Crusaders to the break with a 41-38 advantage.

The second stanza proved to be even tighter, with neither club holding a lead of more than three points until a critical double-technical foul on MVC's Cameron Lockett with 12:56 to play led to four consecutive Coffman free throws and a 56-50 EU lead.

MVC bounced back to score the next four points on field goals by Cameron Boyd and Hall, but Coffman's short jumper from the left side, followed by a Martinborough basket re-established the six-point EU lead with just under nine minutes left on the clock.

That would be the largest spread for the remainder of the game, as Lance buried a three with 6:22 to play to cap a 7-0 Vikings run that gave the visitors a 62-61 lead.

MVC led by two one minute later, before Ike Egwu's putback of a Martinborough miss knotted the score at 65-65. Another Egwu lay-in with 2:56 to play handed the Crusaders a two-point lead, only to see Lance answer with a successful drive to the basket for a 68-67 MVC advantage.

Next, Coffman banked home a runner from the left side with 45 seconds left, before Lance's 12-footer gave the Vikings a 70-69 lead just ahead of Martinborough's decisive bucket.

Lance led Missouri Valley with 20 points and four steals, while Dusaan Allen added 12 points and Casey Cody-Jackson chipped in with 10.

UP NEXT
The Crusaders return to action Monday (Jan. 25) with a 7:30 p.m., Heart Conference contest against Baker at the Ashcroft Center.

For the latest information on Evangel Athletics, follow the Crusaders on Facebook at Facebook.com/EUAthletics, Twitter (@EUAthletics), or visit EvangelAthletics.com. Fans can also receive updates on the team by downloading the new Evangel Crusaders GamedayApp through Google Play. 

—EvangelAthletics.com—