Avila Closes out 2023 against MWSU
St. JOSEPH, Mo. – Avila men's basketball finished out the 2023 slate of the campaign by facing its final opponent from the NCAA ranks this season on Saturday afternoon in St. Joseph. The game was quite close up until halftime, but at that point Missouri Western (9-3) turned on the gas and ultimately cruised past the Eagles (2-6) by a final margin of 90-37.
It's been well documented that Avila's 2023 schedule was loaded with tough competition – a grand total of six opponents from the NCAA ranks jump out atop the list – and the Eagles' fourth game against an NCAA Division II opponent was their final test of this first half of the 2023-24 campaign.
The Eagles were absent a number of important pieces but still more than held their own against the Griffons in the first half – a storyline that has been very common this season for a young team still learning to gel together and learn a new system and teammates. On the other side, though, the Eagles have seen their opponents erupt into hot stretches more than once, and that's exactly what the Griffons did after halftime of this game to put the result beyond reach.
Avila was more than right there within reach early Saturday afternoon, though. The Eagles got back off the mat after a hot start from the Griffons and quickly cut down an early deficit into a 12-9 hole with 13:22 to play. MWSU stayed in front but Avila stayed within a couple of possessions for the majority of the first half until the Griffons took advantage of a slight cold stretch from the visitors to stretch their lead out to 36-18 at halftime.
After the intermission though, Missouri Western wasted no time ensuring the result would go its way. The Griffons came out flying to start the second half, taking advantage of turnovers and converting them into fast break buckets and dunks one after another after another. The MWSU lead quickly swelled, and the Eagles were unable to battle back after that early barrage, leading Missouri Western to a 90-37 win to conclude 2023.
Taye Fields led what became a very balanced scoring effort for MWSU with 14 points, seven rebounds and four steals, and eight total Griffons scored at least nine points. Matthew Boldt paced the Eagles with nine points and eight boards; Jehoiada Goins had eight points, two boards and two steals; and Christian Spalding, seeing some elevated usage over the last month, finished with six points and four boards.
Up next, Avila men's basketball will turn its attention to 2024, where the Eagles will kick off the new year with a return to KCAC competition on Wednesday, January 3. The conference's other Eagles team, Oklahoma Wesleyan, will head to Kansas City for a conference doubleheader that begins with the women's game at 6 PM and the men's game at 8 PM; as always, you can watch all the action live and for free on the Avila Sports Network with Joe Van Amburg on the call from Mabee Fieldhouse.
