WINFIELD, Kan. – Opening day of the 2022-23 Southwestern College men's basketball season finally arrived on Friday afternoon inside Stewart Field House, where the Builders played host to the Ozark Christian College Ambassadors. Local elementary schools, Whittier and Irving, brought their students out to Stewart for a field trip on opening day of the 2022-23 slate, creating an outstanding environment. Among the impressive performances in the primary game of the campaign for Southwestern, Andrew O'Brien accounted for a triple-double by raking in 15 points, 13 rebounds and 12 assists. His performance, alongside those of his teammates, pushed SC to a 109-62 win at home.

"This was a very special game for our program," said head coach Matt O'Brien. "We have partnered with Whittier and Irving elementary for over 10 years, and it was fun to see our partnership grow in a new way. We love being a part of the Winfield community, and we were honored to give back today."

The floor seemed to be tilted heavily in favor of the Moundbuilders in the first half, as the squad could not seem to miss. They shot an outstanding 28-of-41 (68.3%) from the field to open their season strong. A 9-of-15 (60%) half from past the three-point arc would help matters, as a total of 70 points were put on the scoreboard in the first stanza. The Builders would head into the locker room with a 70-35 advantage.

Following the half, Southwestern's offense slowed a bit, but only to the tune of 16-of-32 (50%) shooting. It was only a 5-of-16 (31.3%) half from beyond the arc, though, which was well below their fantastic output in the former period of play. The whole team was involved in the latter minutes of the tilt, as the bench played nearly as many minutes as the starters in the second stanza. At the final horn, the Builders emerged with a 109-62 triump over the visiting Ambassadors.

Cevin Clark (22) was the team's leading scorer, as he was one of six Moundbuilders to reach 10 or more points in the bout. Clark was an uber-efficient shooter, nailing 8-of-12 (66.7%) from the floor and 6-of-8 (75%) from downtown. Deng Bol was next on the list, having reached the 16 point mark in the battle. He shot 7-of-9 (77.8%) from the field, while pouring in two three-point shots, as well. O'Brien was remarkable, converting on 7-of-11 (63.6%) as a shooter to tally 15 points. Cooper Pierce had a solid afternoon of work, picking up 14 points in the game with a 50% conversion rate at 5-of-10. He knocked down three three-pointers to help add to his totals. Newcomer Jarvis Jennings found himself on the stat sheet with 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting. Finally, Trey White sunk 4-of-8 shots from the field and matched that ratio with 2-of-4 makes from deep, compiling 10 points as the final Builder to do so.

Ball movement was crisp from the start for Southwestern, as O'Brien dished out 12 dimes in the game to lead the team. He was followed by two more SC starters who tallied four assists apiece, as Clark and Bol were able to add to their scoring contributions with gorgeous feeds to teammates.

Leading the side in rebounds was none other then O'Brien, as he reeled in 13 boards to complete a triple-double in the season opener. The Point Forward showed his excessively advanced ball skills throughout the day en route to the milestone. The squad was aided by six rebounds from Pierce, four backboards from Bol and Phillip Smith, as well as three from Zach Hidalgo off the bench.

The team had a total of 10 steals in the game, as Clark, O'Brien and Jennings each tallied a pair. Bol, White, Smith and Abraham Rodriguez Jr. recorded the remaining four thefts. There were also two blocks recorded, as Bol and Hidalgo showed their mettle as rim protectors.

With the smooth triumph, Southwestern (1-0) will prepare for the Bridge Builder Classic in Oklahoma City, Okla. on Tuesday, November 1, when they face the Central Christian College Tigers at the Paycom Center. The home of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) Oklahoma City Thunder will play host to the two squads for the second straight season.

--buildersports.com--