The Basics
Final: MidAmerica Nazarene 76, Evangel 72 | Final Stats
Records: Evangel (9-3, 3-1); MidAmerica Nazarene (7-6, 2-2)
Site: Bell Family Arena

OLATHE, Kan. – In a seesaw battle that went down to the wire, MidAmerica Nazarene scored the final four points to counter a pair of Evangel rallies and stop the Valor's seven-game win streak with a 76-72 decision Saturday afternoon at the Bell Family Arena.

Evangel rode a career-best 30-point performance by Edriel Martinborough to wipe out a 16-point second-half deficit with a 21-4 scoring run. Martinborough accounted for 10 of EU's 21 points during the spurt, and his basket with just under eight minutes to play put the Valor on top, 59-58.

But MidAmerica Nazarene responded with a 12-0 run thanks to four-consecutive three-pointers—two apiece by Jake Alexander and Darnell Miller—over the ensuing two-and-a-half minutes to seemingly seize control of the contest.

EU answered with eight-straight points—including four more from Martinborough—to pull to within three on two separate occasions. The Valor then drew even at 72-72 on a Josh Pritchett trey with 1:31 to play.

But Anthony Brown converted a jumper at the 1:10 mark, and the Pioneer defense took care of the rest. Evangel went 0-for-3 from the field with a turnover in the final minute, and Brown sank a pair of free throws in the final seconds to seal the outcome.

Martinborough finished his afternoon 12-of-19 from the floor, including a red-hot 6-of-8 from beyond the three-point arc. The senior became the 37th player in Evangel history to top the 1,000-career point plateau, adding a team-high nine rebounds and two steals to his final stat line as well.

MNU, which used a 31-12 first-half scoring surge to build a 15-point cushion before the half, shot 0.500 (28-of-56) as a team, paced by Brown's 20-point effort. Cameron Brady added a double-double of 18 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.

The Pioneers took a 43-29 advantage into the locker room, then stretched their lead to as many as 16 points early in the second stanza.

But powered by the shooting of Martinborough, the Valor chipped away at the deficit to make it a contest once again. Manrique Alvarado sank a triple with 14:45 to play to start the key EU run, before Martinborough drained two more long-range jumpers to pull the Valor to within 54-47.

Brown made it a nine-point game with a pair of successful free-throw attempts, but Jace Coffie poured home two buckets as part of a string of eight unanswered Valor points that trimmed the margin to just one point. Back-to-back baskets by Pritchett and Martinborough completed the comeback and handed EU a one-point lead with 7:51 left on the clock.

The Pioneers heated up from the perimeter, however, getting four-straight makes from distance to open up a double-digit lead once more.

Evangel had one more comeback left, as Martinborough and Stephen Salvi combined to score 10 of the next 12 points, before Pritchett's three-pointer knotted the score at 72-72.

Brown led the Pioneers with his efficient 6-of-9 shooting effort to go along with an 8-of-10 performance at the foul line. The junior guard added eight boards and three assists as well.

Salvi complimented Martinborough's big afternoon with 12 points on 5-of-11 shooting, as well as six boards and three assists off the EU bench.

LOOKING AHEAD
Evangel returns to the Ashcroft Center Wednesday (Dec. 15) for a 7:30 p.m., Heart Conference matchup against Baker.

For the latest information on Evangel Athletics, visit Facebook at Facebook.com/EvangelValor, Twitter (@EvangelValor), or EvangelAthletics.com. Fans can also receive updates on their favorite EU teams by downloading the Evangel Athletics Gameday App through the App Store or Google Play.

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