The Basics
Score: Evangel 73, Ottawa 72
Location: Springfield, Mo. (AGFinancial Arena)
Records: Evangel (13-7, 9-5), Ottawa (10-11, 6-9)
Box Score
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Evangel Men's Basketball hosted the Ottawa Braves in their final game of the homestand on Wednesday (Jan. 28) evening, looking to bounce back after dropping a pair of games last week. Despite leading by double digits in the second half, the Braves battled back, but Evangel snatched a win out of the jaws of defeat in the final seconds, as Drew McMillin nailed a pair of free throws in the final seconds, giving EU a 73-72 win on Wednesday.
Harrison Doennig opened the first half by nailing a trio of three pointers to fuel Evangel's offense, giving the Valor a 9-3 lead. Ottawa was able to draw within two of the EU lead, but a Drew McMillin jumper and rare three pointer from Garrett Davault gave the Valor a 14-7 lead with 13:13 remaining. Evangel maintained a two possession lead for most of the first half, until the Braves knocked down a pair of three pointers to draw within two of EU's lead, 22-20. A technical foul by the Braves allowed Luke Foster to nail a pair of free throws, followed by a three pointer from the Rolla native, giving EU a 27-22 lead. The Valor continued to battle and another technical foul on the Braves allowed EU to take a nine point lead off free throws, 35-26. Ty Campbell closed out the half with a three pointer, giving EU a 40-31 halftime lead, their largest lead of the first half.
Jacob Lafferty scored a layup to open scoring for EU in the second half, before the Valor went on a minor scoring drought. McMillin ended the drought with a three pointer to re-give the Valor a nine point lead, 45-36, with 17:10 left in the game. A three point jumper from Lafferty paired with a layup from Davault extended Evangel lead to 13, 53-40, with 12:46 remaining. Evangel would go through another scoring drought, this one for a longer duration than the first, as the Braves drew within four points of EU's lead, 55-51. A layup from Cade Sutton and ensuing dunk from the redshirt sophomore broke the Ottawa run, as EU led 59-55, with 6:13 remaining in the game. The Braves tied the game up at 59-59 with 5:30 left in the half, making for a thrilling finish in AGFinancial Arena on Wednesday. The Valor trailed at the final media timeout of the night, 62-59, but a layup from Harrison Doennig brought EU within one of the Ottawa lead. Davault and Campbell both nailed back-to-back three pointers to give EU a 67-64 lead with 2:58 remaining, but Ottawa chipped it down to just one point, 69-68, with just a minute remaining. Campbell would draw an offensive foul on Ottawa on their following possession and hit a back cut to draw a foul, going to the free throw line for a pair of shots. The Crane native nailed both from the charity stripe, making the EU lead 71-68, with 31.5 seconds remaining. The Braves would quickly score, drawing within a point, and a missed free throw gave Ottawa an opportunity to win the game with 11.2 seconds remaining. OU came down the floor, scoring with five seconds remaining, but the Ottawa defender became tangled up with McMillin, giving the Republic native a chance to tie or give EU a lead with 2.2 seconds. The grad student did just that, nailing a pair of clutch free throws as Davault came up with a steal on Ottawa's ensuing inbound, giving EU a narrow 73-72 win on Wednesday.
QUOTABLE
"I was proud of how our team finished the game tonight," head coach Bert Capel stated. "We made stops and scored baskets when we needed them and Drew McMillin hit two big free throws at the end to win it."
NOTABLE
UP NEXT
Evangel MBB hits the road for a quick road trip, taking on the Threshers of Bethel College at 2:00 p.m. in North Newton, Kansas.
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.
