STERLING, Kan. – As has become a pattern for the No. 21-ranked Southwestern College men's basketball team, it was another dogfight in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) on Thursday night in Sterling, Kan., where the Moundbuilders squared off against the Warriors of Sterling College. After a seesaw tilt, in which both teams held healthy leads at different stages of play, the late-going was unkind to SC yet again. Sterling converted a last-second shot with :00.4 left on the game clock, which would be the Builders' undoing in their 82-80 loss in dramatic fashion.

The Moundbuilders got off to a lackluster start in the battle, which has become a trend over the past couple of weeks. Over the opening four minutes, the Builders limped to a 12-3 deficit, but were able to battle back with an 8-2 run of their own to get within three points. Sterling would answer and lengthen their advantage to as many as nine points at 27-18 with 7:02 left in the half, but the Moundbuilders rallied to outscore Sterling 22-7 over the last seven minutes of the stanza. They outshot the Warriors by converting on 13-of-28 (46.4%) from the field, in comparison to Sterling's 14-of-36 (38.9%) showing. The 40-34 lead that the Builder maintained would not last for long, however.

Half number two began quickly for the home squad, as Sterling was able to erase their deficit in just over three minutes of second-half action. Their 43-42 lead would be answered by a Moundbuilder 10-3 run over the next three minutes, though, which vaulted SC back in front at 52-46. Southwestern would increase their lead to as many as 10 points at 67-57 with only eight minutes remaining to be played, but promptly coughed up that lead by allowing a 10-0 run over the following three minutes. The Builder men responded by scoring the next five points, before giving up a 6-1 run to the Warriors, which tied the score again at 73-73. From that point forward the two squads traded buckets, with the Builders maintaining a one-bucket advantage, until the 47-second mark when a Sterling three-point play put them in command with a 78-77 lead. After a missed Builder three, Sterling was fouled with 15 seconds left and made both free throws, which made it 80-77. Cevin Clark would be fouled while hoisting a three-pointer on the next Moundbuilder possession and sink all three free throws, tying the score at 80-80. Unfortunately, a last second fallaway jumper fell through the cylinder with :00.4 on the clock for Sterling as they pulled out the victory over SC, 82-80. Southwestern took a step back on offense, hitting on only 13-of-33 (39.4%) from the field in the back half of the tilt, while the Warriors were a crisp 15-of-30 (50%) in the second half.

Clark was the only Moundbuilder to take 10 or more shots in the battle, and was an efficient 8-of-16 (50%) from the field. He scored a grand total of 29 points in the game, and had double the point total of any one of his teammates in the loss. Deng Bol's 14 points were the second-best mark among SC scorers, as his 5-of-7 (71.4%) clip was crafted skillfully. Finally, Cooper Pierce had 11 points on 3-of-8 (37.5%) shooting. Trey White proved to be a valuable contributor off the bench with nine points on 3-of-6 (50%) from long range, as well.

Assist numbers were low for the Moundbuilders in the loss, as Andrew O'Brien led the squad with just three dimes. The other two assists in the tilt were credited to Clark and Bol.

Bol's seven rebounds were a team-high in the game, and Zach Hidalgo was credited with six backboards off the bench. The trio of Pierce, O'Brien and Phillip Smith each tallied four rebounds, and Trey Abasolo added three backboards to the effort.

Bol (2) and O'Brien (1) were the only two Builders who were able to act as thieves in the bout, and Pierce sent back three Sterling shots in the battle as he continues to show his mettle as a rim protector.

Another unfortunate finish to a KCAC battle puts the Moundbuilders (17-5, 11-5 KCAC) in an even tougher situation within the conference standings, as the squad will look to rebound at home against the Tabor College Bluejays on Saturday, Jan. 28 inside Stewart Field House. The final battle of the month of January for SC will be an opportunity to shrug off the unlucky vibes that have surrounded the team for the last pair of weeks.

--buildersports.com--