Shorthanded Eagles Come up Short against Braves

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – It was an even game for much of the night, but ultimately a shorthanded Avila men's basketball squad (3-12, 2-11 KCAC) couldn't find enough offense to keep up with Ottawa (11-8, 6-7 KCAC), which earned a 66-51 victory in Mabee Fieldhouse on Wednesday night.

In recent history, the all-time series between these two local rivals could be described as a tale of two cities. Historically, when these teams meet in Ottawa, the game is extremely close, with the Eagles often pulling out the win. And historically, when these teams meet in Kansas City, the Braves often win, often by lopsided scorelines. Of course, last season was a complete anomaly because the Braves won both matchups by a single point each, setting up an intriguing game this time around in the only matchup between the two squads this season.

A great crowd was on hand in Mabee Fieldhouse for the rivalry matchup between the Eagles and Braves that was also spotlighted as the KCAC's Road to Hartman Doubleheader of the Week. And everyone in attendance was treated to a tight matchup over the first 20 minutes, which featured five ties and another five lead changes.

The two sides traded shot for shot early and both sides were on fire from beyond the arc to start the night. Jared Miller, Jared Larson and Josh Kilpatrick all connected from downtown for the Eagles over the first seven minutes, leading to a 13-13 deadlock in the early stages. Much later, Desmond Combs scored five straight to break a 19-all tie and give the Eagles their largest lead, 24-19, with 5:22 left in the first half.

Amil Fields then scored four straight and followed a stickback from Robert Lee III with back-to-back threes to give the Braves a 29-26 lead with three-and-a-half minutes to go, and the visitors never looked back. Fields buried one more three on the offensive end and the Braves held the Eagles off the board for the final four minutes to take a narrow 32-26 lead into the intermission.

And after the break, an Eagle offense that was absent four of its top five scorers simply did not have the firepower to keep up with the Braves on this night. Miller and Jehoiada Goins did their best to spearhead the offense for the Eagles, but it was not enough. Avila got to within a point in the first two minutes of the second half but could not get that close again in a 66-51 Ottawa win.

Fields led all players with 20 points on 6-of-12 shooting off the bench. Top scorer Jayden Hibbitt delivered a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds; Deondre Buggage scored 11 points on 11 shots but also supplied seven assists. Miller paced the Eagles with a new season high 15 points; Goins added six points and eight boards.

Up next, Avila men's basketball completes a rare two-game KCAC homestand when the Eagles welcome their other local conference rivals, Saint Mary, to Mabee Fieldhouse this Saturday, January 27. First off, the Eagle women face the Spires at 1 PM with the men to follow at 3; 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 Kansas City.