The Basics

Score: (18) Evangel 93, Benedictine 85 

Location: Atchison, Kan. (Ralph Nolan Gymnasium) 

Records: Evangel (14-2, 9-1); Benedictine (8-8, 6-4) 

Box Score 

ATCHISON, Kan. -- A strong first half played a major factor in the Valor Men's Basketball match against Benedictine on Wednesday night, helping lead the Valor to their fifth straight victory and seventh straight on the road, 93-85.

In his return from missing two games to start 2023, Edriel Martinborough found a nice look from three to kick off the game, giving the Valor a 3-0 lead that quickly jumped to 8-0 after five consecutive points from Jace Coffie. A Manrique Alvarado basket was followed by two Martinborough threes and a jumper to push the Valor ahead 18-5 with 15 minutes remaining in the first half. Leading scorer Josh Pritchett found his first points of the game on a free throw that was soon followed by a three of his own, as Evangel could not be stopped from long range. The Valor continued their trend of threes by nailing 11 in the half and by the time the first twenty minutes had expired, the Valor were ahead, 53-39.

Benedictine opened the second half on a run, forcing multiple Valor turnovers. A 9-0 run for the Ravens put the Valor up by just five, 53-48. Although all the momentum rested in favor of the home team, Evangel remained consistent and the steady shot from Pritchett continued to fall, fueling the Valor to the end. Benedictine cut the game down to three points on several occasions, but could not overcome the deficit, as each basket was matched by a Valor score, ultimately resulting in a 93-85 victory for the 18th ranked Valor.

QUOTABLE 

"I thought we played a really good first half tonight. We have to give Benedictine credit, they came out ready to go in the second half and we didn't. I was proud of our guys for hanging in there and finishing the game," head coach Bert Capel stated. "Saturday is going to be another tough one on the road against a nationally ranked team. We'll be ready." 

NOTABLE 

• Josh Pritchett led Evangel with 28 points in the win.

• Evangel shot 64.7 percent (11-17) from three in the first half.

• Jace Coffie and Stephen Salvi both pulled down five rebounds in the win.

• Manrique Alvarado and Pritchett led Evangel with five assists.

• Evangel shot 50.9 percent from the floor in the win, their fifth best shooting percentage of the season.

• Evangel won the turnover battle, 17-13, scoring 23 points off turnovers.

NEXT UP 

Evangel concludes their road trip with a tough road matchup against nationally ranked (13) William Penn on Saturday (Jan. 14) at 2:00 p.m.

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—