The Basics

Score: Evangel 81, Bethany 85 

Location: Lindsborg, Kan. (Ray D. Hahn Gymnasium)

Records: Evangel (12-14, 9-11); Bethany (11-14, 8-12)

Box Score 

LINDSBORG, Kan. -- Valor Men's Basketball hit the road on Saturday (Feb. 15) afternoon, taking on the Bethany College Swedes in a battle between teams fighting for the last spot in the conference tournament. Evangel struggled offensively early, but were able to fight back late in the first half to keep the game close. Both teams competed in a back and forth second half that ultimately came down to the final possession, as key free throw misses from the Valor proved costly, falling 85-81 on Saturday.

Evangel and Bethany opened Saturday's game with back and forth play, with a three pointer from Ty Campbell at the 14 minute remaining mark giving EU a 14-13 lead. Over the span of four minutes, the Swedes took it to Evangel, going on a 17-0 run to take a 30-14 lead over the Valor. A jumper from Luke Foster broke the Valor scoring drought and spark a run that Evangel desperately needed in the half. Six points apiece from Bryce Ware, Stephen Salvi, and Garrett Davault over the final seven minutes of the first half fueled a 22-9 run for the Valor as EU trailed, 42-38, at the halftime break.

Manrique Alvarado opened the second half with a jumper to draw EU within two points of the Bethany lead, but again, the Swedes offense generated a 13-2 run to take a 55-42 advantage over the Valor with 16:29 remaining in the ballgame. Again, the Valor came storming back, sparked by back-to-back three pointers from Harrison Doennig, opening a 12-0 run for EU. Doennig continued his strong play midway through the second half, as a basket from the freshman gave the Valor a 60-59 lead with 11:17 remaining. Both Evangel and Bethany began to trade baskets and a three pointer from Luke Foster put the Valor ahead by five, 70-65, with 6:18 left in the game. Bethany again responded and tied the game up and the next four minutes of play consisted of both teams trading the lead and ties. The biggest shift came with the game tied at 78-78, as Evangel turned the ball over on their possession, leading to a fast break layup for Bethany, making it a 80-78 game in favor of the Swedes with 57 seconds remaining. BC took a three point lead down the stretch and a basket from Ware drew EU within a point. After a pair of missed Bethany free throws, Evangel was fouled, but Alvarado missed the first free throw of a one-and-one opportunity. Bethany again missed a free throw down the stretch and with three seconds left, Davault had a chance to tie the game up at the free throw line, trailing 82-80. Davault hit his first, but missed the second and ultimately Bethany made their late free throws as the Valor fell, 85-81.

QUOTABLE 

"I was disappointed at how we started the game, knowing we needed this one tonight. However, we fought back and finally took the lead midway through the second half," head coach Bert Capel stated. "We had some good looks at the basket and free throws to finish the game, but could not get it done. We need to regroup and get ready for our last two regular season games next week."

NOTABLE 

• Garrett Davault led the Valor with a double-double, scoring 19 points and pulling down 10 rebounds in Saturday's loss.

• Harrison Doennig (16 pts.), Bryce Ware (15 pts.), and Stephen Salvi (12 pts.) rounded out double digit scoring on Saturday.

• Manrique Alvarado passed off a team high six assists.

• Evangel outshot Bethany in all categories on Saturday, with three free throw misses in the second half proving detrimental.

UP NEXT 

Evangel returns home on Wednesday (Feb. 19) evening, hosting the Oklahoma Wesleyan Eagles at 7:30 p.m. in AGFinancial Arena. Wednesday's live stream will be produced live by Mediacom22. In case of inclement weather or schedule changes, stay tuned to Evangel Men's Basketball on X and Facebook, as well as the Evangel athletics website for updates.

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.