Eagle Men Drop Back to Back Heartbreakers

The Eagle men hosted their annual Faith Classic basketball tournament this past weekend, as Manhattan Chrisitian College (MCC), Maranatha Baptist Bible College (MBBC), and Iowa Wesleyan College (IWC) came to town. The Eagles faced MBBC on Friday night and IWC on Saturday night. The Eagles came up short by identical score both nights, falling 78-80. Faith is now 2-3 on the year.

The Eagles jumped out to an early lead Friday night against MBBC, leading 17-5 seven minutes into the game. MBBC shot their way back into the game though, utilizing the three point line to pull back within one with a minute remaining in the first half. Faith was able to get a couple baskets back to back to close out the half with a five point lead, 44-39. The second half was almost identical to the first, with Faith taking a 12 point lead with fourteen minutes left in the game. And just like the first half, MBBC's hot shooting brought them back, as they took advantage of three Eagle turnovers over the next three minutes to pull back withing two, 62-64. As the Eagles offense continued to stagnate, MBBC was able to tie the game up at 67, then take a three point lead on another three point shot. Faith battled back, finally retaking a one point lead on a Cody Chaffin three point shot, but Faith's defense couldn't get a stop, as MBBC scored on their end to lead by one. Out of a timeout, the Eagles ran a play but ended up turning it over without getting a shot off, forcing them to foul. MBBC made their first free throw to lead by two, then missed their second. The Eagles half court shot at the buzzer just missed, bouncing off the front of the rim, and the Eagles fell 78-80.

Faith had three men finish in double digits, with Aaron Leistikow leading all scorers with 27. Cody Chaffin finished with 17, while Eric Young was a perfect 4-4 from the floor and 3-3 from the free throw line to finish with 12 points. Timothy O'Tool and Jon Luke Talton grabbed 10 rebounds each, while Jordan Marshall finished with eight assists. 

On Saturday, the Eagles faced NCAA III opponent Iowa Wesleyan College. The Eagles knew they would be in for a defensive battle, and that was certainly proven true in the first half. IWC's tough man to man frustrated the Eagles, holding Faith to just 25 first half points, but the Eagles defense was solid, holding IWC to 30 in the first half. 

IWC extended the lead to eight early in the second half before Faith rallied back to take a three point 38-35 lead on eight straight points by Chaffin with 15 minutes to go in the game. The game then became a back and forth affair, with IWC finally able to gain a little breathing room, leading by eight with three minutes to play. The Eagles turned up the defensive pressure, refusing to go down without a fight but couldn't seem to make any headway, still trailing by nine with a minute to play. A furious combination of a press, fouls, and dynamic shooting by the Eagles led to an 11-3 run by the Eagles in just 30 seconds saw the Eagles come all the way back and tie the game with about 26 seconds to play. The run was fueld by two Chaffin free throws, followed by a Talton three, then a Talton two, a layup by Young, and another made basket by Talton off a steal by Chaffin. IWC called a timeout, and with about six seconds on the clock took a driving shot that missed, but the Eagles couldn't secure the rebound, and as time expired, IWC tipped in the ball to grab the 80-78 victory over the Eagles.

"We suffered two tough losses that will sting for awhile, but I think we learned some great lessons going forward. We knew our first semester schedule would be tough, and we've fought hard. Once our defense catches up with our offense, and we eliminate the careless turnovers, we're going to be on the other end of these types of games," noted coach Fincham.

Four Eagle men finished in double digits in the loss. Leistikow recorded another double double, netting 24 points and 10 rebounds, while handing out five assists. Talton added 19 to the total, while Chaffin had 15. O'Tool scored 12 in limited minits due to foul trouble. Marshall also added five assists.

The schedule does not get any easier for the Eagles, as they will host defending NCCAA Central Region champion and 2013 National Tournament qualifier Grace University on Tuesday. The Eagles split with Grace last year, with the Royals claiming a lopsided victory in Omaha and the Eagles winning on a last second shot at home. That game will tip at 7:00 PM on Tuesday, November 26.