MEN’S BASKETBALL WINS THIRD-STRAIGHT, DEFEATS EVANGEL

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A second-straight game that went down to the final seconds saw Avila win its third-consecutive game and beat Evangel on the road, 72-68 on Wednesday night.

The Eagles built a 10-point halftime lead thanks to hot shooting, as the Eagles knocked down 48 percent of its shots from the floor and entered the locker room with a 32-22 lead. Avila's Jordan Majeed was a catalyst off the bench in the first half, putting up seven points while point guard Brennan Jeffries contributed five rebounds and three assists.

In the first half, Avila had a strong defensive gameplan as the Eagles held the Valor to just 27 percent shooting from the floor and 17 percent from three-point range.

Evangel fought back in the second half, thanks to some less-than-stellar free throw shooting from Avila as the teams went to the line a combined 50 times in the final 20 minutes.

Statistics on both ends of the court from the intrastate KCAC rivals saw a tight second half, with the Valor fighting to make it a one-possession game with less than a minute remaining.

Four big free throws from Josh Kilpatrick and Jeffries put the game out of reach in the final 22 seconds as Avila improved to 4-2 on the season and 2-0 in the KCAC.

Majeed's 16 points off the bench led the Eagles. Brionne Williams (14) and reigning KCAC Offensive Player of the Week Xavier Kahube (12) were Avila other scorers in double-figures.

At 4-2, the Eagles have already matched last season's win total and will look to win their fourth-straight game on Saturday at Mabee Fieldhouse against Sterling at 3 PM.

(photo credit: Brayden Cook)