Swedes Outlast Eagles in Kansas City

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Avila men's basketball made a surge late in the first half, but the Eagles (4-15, 3-11 KCAC) could not complete the comeback – Bethany (11-9, 7-7 KCAC) did enough in the second half to hold Avila at bay and hold on for a 79-68 victory on Saturday evening in Mabee Fieldhouse.

Bethany began the game Saturday by scoring the first eight points before Tyree King finally got the Eagles on the board four minutes in. It became a wire-to-wire win for the Swedes, and though it rarely felt that decisive in the second half for a while in the first half Bethany looked primed to turn the game into a rout before Avila finally doused the fire at a crucial time.

Midway through the first half, Justin Brookens got hot from beyond the arc and both Solomon and Malcolm Clayton scored, pushing Bethany's lead out to 32-10, their largest of the game, with 9:13 left in the half. Avila men's basketball has made a habit of storming back from 20-plus point deficits this season, but the Eagles had never pulled a comeback like that off at Mabee Fieldhouse before: until now.

Facing that large deficit, Avila steadily scored the game's next 10 points, forcing a Bethany timeout. The Swedes countered with seven straight before a mini Eagle run brought the score to 39-26 with under four to go. Down 15 with two minutes left, Donte' Simpson kickstarted the offensive engine with a steal and a transition bucket, and in the final 90 seconds Jared Larson cashed in from downtown and Brandon Johnson delivered two layups, helping the Eagles close the half on a 9-0 run, bringing the halftime deficit down to 41-35.

Bethany held serve early in the first half, with Solomon Clayton hitting a handful of foul shots to keep the Swedes up by eight, before Johnson scored from in tight and Simpson connected from deep to get Avila back within three points. Craig Jordan later scored on a putback to keep the deficit there, 50-47, with 13:40 left, but that was as close as the Eagles would get.

Bethany scored six straight after Jordan's basket to reestablish some breathing room, and back to back Brookens deep balls around the nine-minute mark put the Swedes up double figures. Avila got within single digits late after a three from Tremaine Banks and another Johnson bucket off a Simpson feed, but they would not get closer: Bethany held off any potential late push to win 79-68.

A new factor for the Swedes this season, Brookens went off for a game high 29 points, draining six threes in the process. By now means a new factor but still a threat, Solomon Clayton scored 23 points with a team-best eight rebounds. Johnson had another strong game off the bench for the Eagles, scoring 13 points with five boards, while King chipped in 10 points. And Simpson continued his excellent run of play, scoring a team-high 16 points with 11 rebounds for his second straight double-double, along with three assists and five steals.

Up next, Avila women's basketball will return to the road in a quick turnaround this Monday, January 23 when the Eagles travel to take on Bethel. Tipoff for the women's game is slated for 6 PM with the men's game to follow at 8 PM; as always, you can watch all the action on the KCAC Sports Network.