WINFIELD, Kan. – Stewart Field House was rocking on Wednesday night in Winfield, as the No. 22-ranked Southwestern College men's basketball team was battling the Bethany College Swedes in a No. 4-No. 5 matchup in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) Quarterfinals. After falling behind by as many as 15 points in the early stages of the second half, the Builders rallied to vanquish Bethany by a final tally of 84-78, thanks in large part to a 44-point performance from Cevin Clark.

"Cevin was spectacular tonight!", exclaimed head coach Matt O'Brien. "His toughness was on display all night long."

A slow start from both teams in the first few minutes of the opening half made it seem as if a low-scoring affair would be forthcoming. The first point of the game was not tallied until the 17:35 mark, as the sluggish offense would continue for the majority of the half for Southwestern. Bethany, on the other hand, was able to put together a 19-7 run after trailing 10-4 with 14:48 on the clock. Their run lasted 8:12, as they would end up holding a 41-36 lead at the conclusion of the first half. The Moundbuilders struggled mightily from distance, as they hit only one three-pointer on eight tries. The Swedes took advantage by making 16-of-32 from the field and forcing 11 Builder giveaways.

The latter half of play began in unceremonious fashion for Southwestern, as they allowed Bethany to score the first eight points of the half in the first 2:10. The Swedes would continue to hold a double-digit lead for the majority of the second stanza, as they were up 71-61 with 8:42 to go. Then, Southwestern exploded with a 12-2 run over the next 4:41 to tie the score at 73-73. They would continue that stretch by scoring 11 of the final 16 points in the battle, and putting the exclamation point on the game with a fast-break dunk by Deng Bol with :00.7 remaining. The Builders escaped with an 84-78 victory.

Clark continues to carry his squad offensively, having taken 27 shots and converted 13 of them. He dropped 44 points on the Swedes, and made 15-of-17 from the free-throw line, as he was tenacious in driving to the cup all game. He was 3-of-8 from long range, as well. Bol also had an impressive night, adding 18 points to the Moundbuilder tally. He was an efficient 7-of-12 from the field, and he grabbed four of his points at the charity stripe.

Feeding the orange to his teammates nicely was Andrew O'Brien, as he handed out six dimes in the triumph. Both Clark and Trey Abasolo were able to find shooters three times in the game, while Bol and Cooper Pierce evenly split the remaining four assists, with two each.

Four different Builders grabbed seven rebounds, as Bol, O'Brien, Pierce and Zach Hidalgo reigned in enough boards to tie for the team-lead. Jarvis Jennings added five rebounds, and Abasolo had four, while Clark put forth a three-backboard effort.

The Moundbuilders swiped the orange from Bethany on three occasions, as Abasolo led the way with two steals in 24 minutes, and Clark was responsible for the remaining burglary. Both O'Brien and Hidalgo stuffed Bethany shooters once, as the squad tallied a pair of rejections in the comeback win.

"Trey Abasolo made some huge plays for us down the stretch," opined coach O'Brien.

Now, it is on to the next for the Builders (23-6, 16-6 KCAC), as they survived and advanced against the Swedes. Awaiting them in the No. 1 seed in the KCAC Men's Basketball Championship tournament, the No. 7-ranked Oklahoma Wesleyan University Eagles. The tilt will be played in Bartlesville, Okla., and will take place on Saturday, Feb. 25 at 2 p.m.

For tickets to the KCAC Men's Basketball Championship Semifinal against OKWU, click the link HERE.

--buildersports.com--