WINFIELD, Kan. – The No. 20-ranked Southwestern College men's basketball team went up against the Bethany College Swedes in a Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) matchup on Saturday evening inside Stewart Field House. Recognition of the squad's five seniors (Cooper Pierce, Deng Bol, Rance Kendrick, Aidan Fields, and Carson Loya) was a focal point of the night's festivities, as the tilt was dominated by the Moundbuilders after the opening three minutes of the first half had elapsed. The Builders pulled away and constructed a dominant 26-point drubbing of the visiting Swedes, 89-63.

The first half began with an evenly-played first few minutes, as Bethany held an 8-6 lead after just under three minutes. Then, SC put together a 14-0 run over the following three minutes to take a 20-8 lead. Bethany would try to fight back in the opening stanza, but continued to be rebuffed by the Southwestern offense. All told, the Builders scored 47 first-half points and held the Swedes to just 34. Shooting numbers leaned heavily in the favor of the Moundbuilders, as they hit on 17-of-32 from the field, including a 5-of-9 showing from downtown. Bethany could not match that efficiency, knocking down only 11-of-34 from the floor in the first half. They also struggled mightily from the free-throw line, leaving seven free points at the stripe.

The second half consisted of more of the same, as SC was over 50% from the field, once again. They sunk 15 shots on 29 tries, while hitting at another nice 5-of-12 clip from three-point land. Bethany struggled to find any rhythm again, as they only made 11-of-29. They also turned the ball over 10 times in the latter half of the tilt. Southwestern's largest lead was 28 points in the second half, and they went on to win the bout by 26 points, 89-63.

Though he only took 11 shots in the matchup, Cevin Clark scored a team-best 27 points in the victory. His 7-of-11 shooting line, including a 4-of-5 clip from beyond the arc and a perfect 9-of-9 showing at the charity stripe, was the epitome of a lights-out scoring night. Andrew O'Brien was second on the squad with 19 points in the win. He was also uber-efficient, as e sunk 7-of-10 in the win. He made all three of his three-point tries, as well. Pierce had 12 points on Senior Day, hitting on 5-of-8 from the floor and knocking down 2-of-5 from distance. Trey Abasolo was the final Builder in double-digits, as he scored 10 points on a 4-of-8 night.

Five O'Brien assists, along with four from both Bol and Abasolo, helped the squad rack up 16 total dimes in the matchup. Zach Hidalgo tallied a pair of assists, and Pierce picked up the final one.

Pierce held the title of the team's leading rebounder, as he hauled in nine on the evening. O'Brien's seven were a close second, as both Hidalgo and Abasolo nabbed six in their efforts. Four rebounds were tallied by Phillip Smith, and two were corralled by Bol. Single rebounds by Jarvis Jennings and Kendrick finalized the list of backboards by Southwestern.

Swiping the orange was key for the Builders on defense, as they grabbed five steals overall. Abasolo led the charge with two steals, and Hidalgo, Bol and Jennings finished off the remaining three. Pierce and Trey White were credited with blocked shots in the triumph.

Southwestern (21-5, 15-5 KCAC) will face two more regular-season opponents, as both games will be played on the road. Firstly, the Moundbuilders will tangle with the Bethel College Threshers on Wednesday, Feb. 15 at 8 p.m. in North Newton, Kan., before heading up to Wichita for a rivalry tilt against the Friends University Falcons to push them into the postseason. The Builders will be locked into a top-four spot in the KCAC standings with a victory against the Threshers on Wednesday as they look forward to their first bout of the conference tourney at home.

--buildersports.com--