The Basics
Final: Evangel 83, Clarke 72 | Final Stats
Records: Evangel (8-2, 2-0); Clarke (5-6, 1-2)
Site: Kehl Center

DUBUQUE, Iowa – Josh Pritchett's career-best 30-point performance paced another strong all-around effort by Evangel, as the Valor extended its win streak to six games with an 83-72 victory over Clarke Saturday afternoon at the Kehl Center.

Pritchett connected on 9-of-20 field-goal attempts, including 4-of-7 from beyond the three-point arc, and 8-of-10 free throws to go along with team highs of eight rebounds and five assists in leading the Valor to its fifth road victory and a 2-0 start to Heart of America Athletic Conference play.

"Our goal each game is to get a little better," Evangel head coach Bert Capel said. "I thought out motion offense was really good in the second half, which is something we've really been working on. Our bench stepped up, particularly Jace (Coffie) and Logan (Rodgers)."

Jace Coffie gave Evangel a lift off the bench with 12 first-half points and five boards, while Cade Coffman and Manrique Alvarado each contributed 11 points for the Valor.

Evangel rode big first halves from the duo of Pritchett and Coffie, who combined to score 25 of the Valor's 40 points, to a 40-36 advantage. EU seized control of the contest with a 9-2 run, led by six-straight Coffman points, followed by a Coffie three-pointer.

Clarke battled back to within five points with just under six minutes to play in the half, but that's when Coffie put the Valor on his shoulders, scoring nine-straight EU points over the ensuing two-and-a-half minutes to stretch the lead to 11.

The Pride answered with a big run of its own, scoring nine of the final 11 points of the half to cut the EU advantage down to four points by intermission.

Pritchett sparked the first key stretch of the second half for the Valor, knocking down back-to-back three-pointers as part of an 8-0 run that gave Evangel a 52-39 lead with 15:42 to play. That theme would repeat itself throughout the second stanza, with Pritchett converting 5-of-12 second-half attempts from the floor, including 3-of-5 from beyond the arc, to tally 17 points.

But Clarke responded again, this time scoring seven unanswered points to cut the margin down to six points. EU maintained its advantage, with the Pride ultimately narrowing the gap to 68-64 on a Jordan Lake three with 4:47 to play.

That would be as close as the game would get, as Alvarado sank a trey of his own on EU's next possession. Autry Acord converted a jumper, before Stephen Salvi added three points to cap an 8-0 spurt that gave the Valor all the cushion it would need.

Evangel shot 0.423 (30-of-71) from the floor, including a blistering 47-percent in the second half. The Valor committed just three turnovers on the day, while registering an assist on 17 of their successful field-goal tries.

Keith Johnson led the Pride with 22 points, while Biggie Luster added a double-double of 19 points and 12 rebounds.

LOOKING AHEAD
Evangel will return to the Ashcroft Center for its first Heart Conference home contest of the season Tuesday (Dec. 7), when they host Benedictine for a 7:30 p.m., matchup.

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.

—#OneValor—