WINFIELD, Kan. – After suffering a tough loss on Saturday evening in Salina, Kan., the No. 4-ranked Southwestern College men's basketball squad was back home for another Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) battle on the 2022-23 slate. They hosted the Avila University Eagles on Saturday afternoon and took care of business, trouncing the Eagles by a final score of 92-68.

"I am proud of our players bouncing back and playing well after a tough loss," said head coach Matt O'Brien. "It was a great night, and it was a lot of fun to honor our football team at halftime."

It was bit of a sluggish start for the Builders, as the score was tied at 15-15 with 11:49 left to play in the opening half. Neither side was shooting the ball at an efficient clip, but the Moundbuilders found a bit of a groove, constructing a 20-3 run over the next 8:02 of play. Avila had eight points to the Builders' seven over the final 3:31, but the 16-point SC lead at 42-26 would send the game into the intermission with a much more positive feel for the Builders. Both squads were sub-35% from the field in the first half.

After honoring the Builder football team with the unveiling of their KCAC Championship banner at the half, the SC offense had absolutely no trouble scoring points in the second half. There was no lull to start the half this time around, as they consistently made shots to the tune of an 18-of-28 (64.3%) shooting line in the latter period of play. The Eagles tried to follow suit, shooting 14-of-30 (46.7%), but could not match the production of the home team. Southwestern would ultimately coast to the 92-68 triumph over the Eagles.

Cevin Clark made a season-high eight three-point shots in the victory, and took only 14 in total. He went 9-of-21 from the field, overall, with an 8-of-9 showing from the free-throw line. His 34 points were the highest total by any player in the bout. Second on the Builder squad in points was Deng Bol, who scored 19 on an uber-efficient 7-of-9 shooting. Cooper Pierce also had a nice shooting night, sinking 6-of-11 and scoring 13 points in the tilt.

Andrew O'Brien tallied 11 assists, getting back into double digits after a one-assist game against Kansas Wesleyan on Wedensday. It was back to O'Brien's patented Point Forward style in this one, as the next highest assist total for the Builders was five from Pierce. Trey Abasolo had three dimes, and both Bol and Jarvis Jennings dished out a pair.

O'Brien recorded a double-double with assists and rebounds in this one, reeling in 10 backboards in the tilt. He was followed closely by both Bol and Pierce, who had seven rebounds each. Clark, Jennings and Zach Hidalgo brought in four boards apiece, as well. Hidalgo was especially impressive, having grabbed those four backboards in only nine minutes of game action.

"Zach Hidalgo played well off the bench," declared O'Brien. "He rebounded exceedingly well in limited minutes."

Southwestern had three takeaways in the battle, with Bol, Jennings and O'Brien claiming those steals. Bol and Pierce were each able to reject a shot from an Eagle shooter in the battle, combining for the two total SC swats in the game.

After returning to the win column, the Moundbuilders (16-2, 10-2 KCAC) are set to play the No. 2-ranked squad in the nation on Wednesday evening inside Stewart Field House. The Oklahoma Wesleyan Eagles, currently sitting atop the KCAC standings at 12-0, will battle Southwestern in a highly-touted top-five matchup nationally. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. on Jan. 17 as the Builders look to knock off the undefeated Eagles.

--buildersports.com--