Avila Defeats Manhattan Christian for First Win of Bredehoeft Era

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Avila men's basketball (1-1) outlasted NCCAA foe Manhattan Christian 76-72 on Wednesday night in Manhattan, lifting the Eagles to their first win of the season and giving Tyler Bredehoeft his first victory as Avila's head coach.

The Eagles have played three very different opponents in their first three games of the 2023-24 campaign, starting with national NAIA figurehead Columbia, to local NCAA Division I for Kansas City, to NCCAA up-and-comers Manhattan Christian. The Thunder were a different type of team than either of the first two the Eagles faced this year, and they made sure that the third time was the charm, pulling out a four-point victory to get into the win column this year.

It was Avila's best offensive performance of the young season, no doubt, that powered the Eagles to victory. Avila had four double-digit scorers, shot north of 45% from the field and exactly 50% (9-of-18) from beyond the arc, compared to 36% (10-of-28) from MCC. Poor free throw shooting doomed Avila's chances to race out to an even bigger lead, but the balanced scoring and strong field shooting across the board helped make up the difference.

The game was tied at 36 apiece at halftime before the Eagles got their offense going in the second half and managed to outlast a late surge from the Thunder to prevail 76-72.

Jamie Juncal led Manhattan Christian with 16 points, though he needed 14 shots to get there, and Mason Ellis scored 13 off the bench. George Williams paced the Eagles with a season-high 16 points, including four made threes; James Ross III scored 15; Matthew Boldt scored 14 with six rebounds; and Jehoiada Goins scored ten points with nine boards in the most balanced team performance the Eagles have delivered so far this season.

The win is the first at Avila – and the first as a full-time NAIA head coach – for Tyler Bredehoeft, who took over the program this summer, and his new crew of coaches. The Eagles now have some time off from competition before they return to the floor for the start of KCAC play next Wednesday, November 15, in Leavenworth against Saint Mary. The women begin the first conference doubleheader of the season at 6 PM with the men to follow at 8; as always, you can watch all the action all season long on the KCAC Network.