WICHITA, Kan. – The No. 20-ranked Southwestern College men's basketball team finished off their regular season slate in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) on Saturday night in Wichita against their rival, Friends University. After a slow start in the opening half, the Moundbuilders rode the scoring aptitude of Cevin Clark to an 82-70 victory over the Falcons.

"It was a great way to end the regular season with a win," said head coach Matt O'Brien. "I am proud of our team's effort on the boards, and our players were locked in on defense the entire night."

It was a bit of a sluggish start on offense for the Builders, as they shot only 14-of-38 in the opening half of play. They were not sluggish in the other areas of the game, however, as they nabbed 10 offensive rebounds in the first 20 minutes. There were not any particularly large runs for either side in the opening half, as the squads went back and forth throughout. Southwestern would trail the game at the half to their rival, 36-35 with a full half to play.

The scales tilted back in favor of SC in the second half, as an 18-of-32 showing by the Moundbuilder shooters righted the wrongs in the opening frame. A 15-2 run to start the half for the Builders caught the Falcons on their heels, as they could not react to the sudden jolt of offensive output from their opponent. The smallest lead that Southwestern would have for the rest of the battle was seven points, as they were in control from that 15-2 run and forward. They managed to grab an 82-70 win in hostile territory against their fierce rivals.

Clark was inconceivable in this victory, as he was Southwestern's lone double-digit scorer. He poured in 39 points on 13-of-26 shooting, including four made three-pointers and a 9-of-10 night at the free-throw line. Pierce was second on the team with nine points on 4-of-9 shooting, and Trey White tied Andrew O'Brien with seven points.

"Cevin Clark was incredible scoring the ball tonight," stated O'Brien.

O'Brien doled out six assists to lead the squad, with only Pierce tallying multiple assists (3) along with him. White, Deng Bol and Zach Hidalgo also had assists in the win.

The Builders continue to split up their rebounding numbers, as O'Brien led the way with eight. Bol followed him with seven backboards, and Hidalgo (5), Pierce (4) and Clark (3) were also large contributors. Rance Kendrick and Jarvis Jennings hauled in a pair of rebounds each, with the entire remainder of the roster grabbing one rebound apiece, as well.

"Deng Bol was key for us defensively in this one," O'Brien expressed.

Southwestern had six steals in the win, with Trey Abasolo leading the team with two. Clark, Pierce, O'Brien and White also picked pockets in the battle, while the three blocks by SC were tallied by O'Brien, White and Phillip Smith.

The Moundbuilders (22-6, 16-6 KCAC) have finished their regular-season slate, and will now host a KCAC Men's Basketball Championship Quarterfinal matchup. Southwestern obtained the No. 4 seed in the tourney, and will host the No. 5-seeded Bethany College Swedes inside Stewart Field House. The bout will take place at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 22, as the Builders look to move on to the Semifinal round.

--buildersports.com--