The Basics

Score: Evangel 97, McPherson 88

Location: McPherson, Kan. ("The Kennel")

Records: Evangel (13-9, 11-6); McPherson (15-8, 10-7)

Box Score 

MCPHERSON, Kan. -- Valor Men's Basketball hit the road on Wednesday (Feb. 7) evening, taking on the McPherson Bulldogs, as EU looked to take sole possession of fourth place in the conference with a win. Despite McPherson going on several runs in Wednesday night's game, Evangel was able to weather the storm, countering their scoring streaks with runs of their own, as the Valor came away with the road win, 97-88, moving into fourth place in conference play.

Evangel used an efficient shooting first half, making 58.1 percent of their shots, while allowing McPherson to shoot just 41 percent from the floor to take a halftime advantage. The Valor would trail, 9-6, in the opening minutes of the first half, but a Josh Mason three pointer tied the game up. Evangel would never trail again in the game, as a 22-8 Evangel run over a 10-minute span helped the Valor race out to a 31-17 lead over the Bulldogs, led by strong scoring from both Manrique Alvarado and Garrett Davault. EU would take a 49-35 lead into the halftime break, with scoring capped off from a Josh Pritchett free throw with 0.6 seconds remaining in the half.

McPherson would go on a pair of small runs in the second half, bringing the Valor lead down to just six points, 59-53, with 13:13 remaining in the game. A 13-5 Evangel run would end McPherson's stretch, putting Evangel back up, 72-56, with under 10 minutes remaining in the game. The Valor were able to maintain around a nine point lead for the majority of the second half. The Bulldogs were able to hit shots in the final few minutes, but were forced to foul as they were down double digits. Josh Mason put up an exceptional performance from the free throw line in the final possessions, nailing free throw after free throw to erase any Bulldog comeback attempt, as Evangel scored 97 points in their road victory, 97-88.

QUOTABLE 

"After dropping one to McPherson earlier in the year, we knew we had to get one at their place," head coach Bert Capel stated. "I thought our team stepped up to the challenge and found a way to win."

NOTABLE 

• Josh Mason led the Valor with 23 points in the win, 10 of which came from the charity stripe.

• Manrique Alvarado (18 pts.), Garrett Davault (18 pts.), Josh Pritchett (17 pts.), and Jace Coffie (13 pts.) rounded out double digit scoring for Evangel on Wednesday.

• EU was outrebounded by the Bulldogs, 30-29, on Wednesday.

• Evangel took sole possession of fourth place in conference play with the win.

• Despite McPherson hitting 13 three pointers, Evangel was able to make runs at crucial times, shooting 59.3 percent from the floor.

NEXT UP 

Evangel will travel to Kansas City, Missouri, on Saturday (Feb. 10) afternoon to take on the Avila Eagles at 3:00 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—