WINFIELD, Kan. – If there is anything we know for certain about the No. 10-ranked Southwestern College men's basketball team, it is that they can melt away an opponent's lead. That truth was evident again on Saturday night inside Stewart Field House, when the Builders hosted the York University Panthers in another Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) tilt. After battling their way through a first half in which it felt like the Panthers could not miss, Southwestern deleted a 12-point halftime shortfall with a brilliant second half, en route to a 90-85 victory against York.

It was an incredible offensive half for the York Panthers to open play, as they were an unstoppable force in the first stanza. The Builders could do nothing to stop them in the frame, allowing a 23-of-33 (69.7%) shooting performance from York. Luckily, Southwestern's offense was also effective, hitting half of their 30 shot attempts over the course of the half. Their three-point shooting was not up to par, though, as they could only hit on four of their 12 tries from long distance. Keeping the deficit at 12 points at the break ended up being important, as the two sides went to the locker rooms with a 54-42 tally on the scoreboard.

The Panthers would come down to Earth in regard to their shooting in the second half, as the team started the period 2-of-10 from the field. Conversely, Southwestern was able to start 6-of-10 from the field, going on a 15-4 run over the first five minutes of the half. It would be a tight battle for the rest of the half, as both teams traded body shots for the remainder of the period. Jarvis Jennings was able to score seven of the Builders' final nine points in the game, including five makes from the free-throw line, as SC found a way to hold off York at the conclusion of the bout. The 90-85 win is the Moundbuilders' fourth in a row, and third victory of the week.

"I am proud of our team battling back from down 12 at the half," said head coach Matt O'Brien. "Jarvis Jennings made some huge baskets for us in the second half."

It was Deng Bol's 27-point performance that paced SC in the tilt, as he was an extremely efficient 11-of-15 (73.3%) from the field. All 11 of his makes were from inside the paint, as he also sent through all five of his free-throw tries. Three other Builders were in double-figures, as Cevin Clark tallied 19 points on 5-of-13 (38.5%) shooting to come in second on the squad. Jennings (17 PTS, 5-11 FG, 7-7 FT) and Cooper Pierce (11 PTS, 4-7 FG, 3-3 FT) were the other two offensive contributors with more than 10 points for Southwestern.

"It was really good to see Deng Bol have a breakout game on offense in this one," continued O'Brien.

Though Andrew O'Brien was not as much of a scoring threat on this night, he racked up 11 assists to lead the side. The six remaining dimes were split amongst Bol (2), Phillip Smith (2), Clark (1) and Trey Abasolo (1).

Southwestern faced a big challenge with the York post players, as the rebounding advantage actually went to the Panthers by a 31-27 tally. It was impressive that the difference was not larger with the amount of size that the Builders were giving up. Pierce led the team with nine boards, and O'Brien was second with seven total rebounds. Bol contributed five rebounds to the effort, and Smith added on four, while Jennings hauled in the last two rebounds for the team in the battle.

Clark was the team's leading thief in this one, swiping the ball away from York on three occasions. Both Pierce and O'Brien had a pair of steals, while the two other steals came from Jennings and Abasolo. O'Brien and Smith were also credited with a blocked shot apiece in the game.

Yet another comeback win affords even more confidence to this Moundbuilder (10-1, 5-1 KCAC) squad. They will now look forward to next Saturday, when they will face the McPherson College Bulldogs for their next KCAC matchup. The game will be played at home inside Stewart Field House, as tip-off is currently scheduled for 3 p.m.

--buildersports.com--