The Basics

Score: Evangel 68, Avila 72

Location: Springfield, Mo. (AGFinancial Arena)

Records: Evangel (2-3, 0-2); Avila (4-2, 2-0)

Box Score 

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Valor Men's Basketball capped off their five game home stand on Wednesday (Nov. 20) evening, hosting the Avila Eagles in search of their first conference win of the season. A poor shooting first half hurt the Valor and ultimately a late comeback attempt fell short, as Evangel dropped their third straight matchup, 68-72.

Josh Mason opened scoring for both teams, hitting a three pointer to give the Valor a 3-0 lead with 16 minutes remaining in the first half. But from there, the Valor struggled offensively, not eclipsing the double digit mark on the scoreboard until 14 minutes into the first half. Avila shot at a fifty percent clip for the majority of the first half, as Avila led by as much as 13 points in half number one. With under three minutes remaining in the first period, Mason nailed another three to bring the Avila lead to 10 points, 29-19. His three pointer helped spark a miniature run for EU, but a late three pointer by Avila put it back to a double digit deficit, 32-22, at the halftime break.

Evangel fought tooth and nail to work their way back into Wednesday night's game. With 13 minutes left in the ball game, the Eagles took a 14-point lead over the Valor, and Evangel knew they needed a run sooner rather than later to work their way back into the game. A 13-0 run by the Valor was exactly what the doctor ordered, as four points from both Ty Campbell and Bryce Ware helped rejuvenate the Valor bench and crowd, making it just a 44-43 game, in favor of the Eagles. A timeout helped Avila stop the Evangel run and start a 13-2 run of their own, erasing the work Evangel put in to make a come back midway through the second half. The Valor continued to fight, narrowing the deficit to three points, 68-65, with just 23 seconds remaining, but the Valor could not find the baskets to put themselves ahead, falling 72-68.

QUOTABLE 

"I felt like we guarded much better this game then we have all year. Offensively, we struggled to run good motion and hit shots, especially in the first half," head coach Bert Capel stated. "I thought Avila made more plays than us down the stretch which proved to be the difference in tonight's game."

NOTABLE 

• Josh Mason led the Valor in scoring with 19 points.

• Garrett Davault (13 pts.) and Ty Campbell (12 pts.), rounded out double digit scoring for the Valor.

• Davault recorded 10 rebounds to lead EU.

• Manrique Alvarado led Evangel with four assists in the loss.

• Evangel shot 34.4 percent from the floor, in comparison to Avila's 45.1 percent.

UP NEXT 

Valor MBB hits the road for their first game away from home, taking on the Tabor Bluejays at 4:00 p.m. in Hillsboro, Kansas on Saturday (Nov. 23) afternoon.

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—