The Basics
Score: #6 Evangel 76, #2 Friends 83
Location: Wichita, Kan. (Garvey Center)
Records: Evangel (19-11), Friends (25-5)
Box Score
WICHITA, Kan. -- Evangel MBB traveled to Wichita on Saturday (Feb. 28) night, taking on the two-seeded Friends Falcons in the KCAC Conference Semifinals, after earning an upset win in the quarterfinals against the McPherson Bulldogs. Despite dropping behind early, Evangel battled and took a late lead, but Friends would come away with the final run of the night, as EU fell on the road, 83-76.
Friends opened Saturday's contest on an 11-0 run, and the Falcons were able to take as large as a 15-point lead over Evangel, 34-19, with six minutes remaining in the first half. Of the 19 points, the majority came midway through the period on baskets from Garrett Davault, Jacob Lafferty, and Luke Foster. Harrison Doennig and Tommy Pinegar began to heat up from long range to close out the first half, as Evangel was able to cut into Friends lead at the halftime break, 46-38.
Drew McMillin hit a pair of free throws and a three pointer to open the second half, drawing within three points of the Friends lead, 46-43, with 17:59 remaining in the game. Doennig continued to hit shots to keep Evangel within reach of Friends, as the Falcons continued to hit shots. Davault began to warm up on the floor, getting Evangel within a possession of the Falcons before Bryce Ware hit back to back jumpers, giving the Valor a 62-61 lead with 9:12 remaining. A pair of McMillin free throws gave EU a 64-61 lead with 8:57 remaining, but the Falcons responded by going on an 11-0 run that hurt Evangel's chances, 72-64. Davault attempted to will Evangel back into the game, drawing back within three points of the Friends lead, but the Valor could not find the tying basket, as Friends nailed their late free throws, resulting in a 83-76 loss for EU in the KCAC Semifinals.
QUOTABLE
"Friends came out hot at the start, but we did a good job settling in, especially in the second half. We had the lead down the stretch, but just couldn't finish it," head coach Bert Capel stated. "I'm proud of our guys and believe we've done enough to get in the national tournament, but we'll see what happens next week."
NOTABLE
UP NEXT
Evangel MBB (19-11) will await to see if they did enough this season to earn an at-large bid in the NAIA National Tournament. The NAIA Selection Show is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. on Thursday (Mar. 5) night.
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.
