Men's Basketball Splits Weekend Games, Ends Semester 8-3
Ankeny, IA -- Faith men's basketball finished the semester with a comeback win over Oak Hills and a near-upset over #6 ranked Crown College to send them into Christmas break with an 8-3 record.
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
36 | 46 | 82 |
|
|
38 | 30 | 68 |
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
43 | 48 | 91 |
|
|
42 | 36 | 78 |
Team Stats
Oak Hills Christian College
| Game Statistics | Faith Baptist Bible College | Oak Hills Christian College |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (31-64) | (26-57) |
| Field Goal % | 48.4% | 45.6% |
| Rebounds | 31 | 33 |
| Assists | 15 | 13 |
| Turnovers | 15 | 21 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 23 | 19 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 2 | 12 |
| Pts in the Paint | 40 | 36 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 8 | 8 |
| Bench Pts | 25 | 12 |
Crown College
| Game Statistics | Crown College | Faith Baptist Bible College |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goals | (38-72) | (30-79) |
| Field Goal % | 52.8% | 38.0% |
| Rebounds | 50 | 33 |
| Assists | 21 | 15 |
| Turnovers | 10 | 6 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 5 | 15 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 11 | 13 |
| Pts in the Paint | 56 | 34 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 6 | 4 |
| Bench Pts | 9 | 13 |
The Eagles pushed their win streak to seven with their road win over Oak Hills on Friday before ending their streak on Saturday with a close game against Crown.
Faith struggled to get going on Friday, trailing 0-7 early as Oak Hills got off to a hot start in the opening minutes of the North Region clash. The Eagles battled their way back led by an 8-0 run from Asa LaFleur and Jackson Lockard, before a made 3 from Landon Brahs gave Faith their first lead of the day.
The Wolfpack responded with another big run, pushing to their largest lead of the day at 20-11 with just over eleven minutes to go in the half. The Eagles worked to chip away at the lead, but could not quite catch up to their opponent. Oak Hills scored with 30 seconds left and looked to take a seven point lead into halftime, but the Eagles scored 5 points in 8 seconds as Jackson Lockard hit a contested jumper followed by a steal and a buzzer-beater three pointer from Landon Brahs. The Eagles headed into the locker room trailing 36-38 with momentum on their side.
Faith completed their comeback in the second half as Landon Brahs tied the game with 14 minutes left, and Sam Kirkman scored the go-ahead jumper that gave Faith a lead that would hold the rest of the game. Kirkman and LaFleur combined for 24 of the team's 46 second half points, and the Eagles earned their seventh straight win in the 82-68 victory over their North Region opponent.
Faith turned around on Saturday to take on another North Region foe and the #6 ranked team in the nation in Crown College.
The Polars got out to a hot start, scoring on 7 of their first 10 shots and jumping to a large lead in the first 10 minutes of the game. Landon Brahs once again led the team in their efforts to chip away at the lead, kickstarting the comeback by scoring seven points in less than two minutes. The Eagles tied the game with five minutes remaining in the first half and took the lead with three minutes to go. The final two minutes saw four lead changes as the teams traded baskets, but it would be the Polars who entered halftime up one, leading 43-42.
The first two minutes of the second half saw an eerily similar trend with four lead changes and another tied game. The teams battled neck and neck through most of the second half, until the Polars started their final push at the seven minute mark with a 10-0 run. The Eagles kept hitting shots down the stretch, but it would not be enough to overcome their opponents' 52% FG percentage, and the Eagles fell 78-91.
Faith men's basketball wraps up the semester sitting at 8-3 overall, 2-0 in MCCC play, and 3-1 in North Region matchups.
UP NEXT: The Eagles will return to play after Christmas break with games on January 8, 9, and 10. Their first home game of the semester will take place on January 10th against Oak Hills Christian College. For the full second semester schedule, click here!
