The Valor never trailed and won 70-53, but the final score wasn't indicative of how tight the game was played most of the time.

It was a contest of surges as Evangel improved to 2-1. 

Surge No. 1: Evangel raced to an 8-2 lead in the first minutes, then H-S fought back for a 12-12 tie at 13:39, thanks mainly to the play of 6-foot-6 forward Alex Nunnally, who finished with 20 points and 13 rebounds.

Surge No. 2: The score was 30-26 with 3:17 left in the first half before Josh Pritchett and Ike Egwu scored on layups and Garrett Davault then stole the ball and finished with a dunk to move the score to double-digits for the first time. The 6-3 freshman guard finished the half with a defensive rebound and a swishing floater with 6 seconds left for a 38-29 halftime lead. He hit five of six field goal attempts and totaled 11 points.

Surge No. 3: Evangel led just 55-48 with 4:51 before Pritchett scored 13 points in 4.5 minutes, including a dunk and free throw, a layup and free throw, and a pair of 3-point shots. He finished with a team-high 15 points. "The offense was more aggressive at the end," said Evangel Coach Bert Capel. "It was a good test for us."

The Valor had to scrap through much of the second half because of fouls, slips on the moist floor and missed scoring opportunities. They were whistled for 10 fouls in the first 9:55. Harris-Stowe (0-2) had 25 free-throw attempts, but hit just 15. Evangel was 10-of-12.

"We kept fighting despite what was going on," Capel said. "We need to be better and we will."

Pritchett agreed: "We just stuck to it. We have to be better at adjusting to those calls. We have to just keep playing."

The 6-4 senior guard said he was happy to step up at the end, but it doesn't matter who does it as long as Evangel wins. "It doesn't matter if I am scoring (he had 2 in the first half)," said Pritchett, who is averaging 21.3 points. "I just need to make the right play and get in rhythm."   

The Valor actually shot well, hitting 27-56 on field goals for 48.2 percent, but most of their possessions were one and done.

That was in large part because Harris-Stowe had a big rebounding advantage, grabbing 37 to 26 for Evangel, which grabbed only six offensive rebounds for the game. 

"We knew he (Nunnally) was a force inside," Pritchett said. "We just had to make sure nothing they could do would change us, our style of play."

Autry Acord, a 6-1 guard, had 10 of Evangel's rebounds. 

Forward Jace Coffie scored 11, guard Stephen Salvi 9 and forward Bryce Hunt 7 for Evangel. Guard Broc Smith swished two of Evangel's six 3-point shots.

Patrick Evans added nine points and six rebounds for Harris-Stowe.

Evangel returns to action Monday with another big test -- a home game at 7 p.m. against Oklahoma Wesleyan, which is ranked fourth nationally in the NAIA.

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—