Men's Basketball Season Review
The Eagle men completed their 2015-2016 campaign in a manner in which few teams have the opportunity, a win at the National Tournament. The Eagles schedule was one of the strongest in recent memory, with a total of 15 games against teams that were ranked in the top 10 at some point during the season. Seven of those games were against teams that would eventually end up at the national tournament.
The team faced many challenges from the beginning to the end of the season. The men started the season with just eight of the 15 players on the roster available, as seven men were on the Eagles soccer team which advanced to their own national tournament. The Eagles spent all of pre-season and their first three games with just an eight man roster, then added the seven men from soccer for one practice before jumping into the next round of games. The result was a tough November in which Faith managed just one win, but wasn't without promise. Faith dropped a close game to scholarship school Silver Lake College, and fell to eventual national runner up Grace Bible College by just five.
December was much better for the Eagles, as they would win six games, including region wins over Trinity Bible College and Providence University College, which would position them for a shot at a number one seed at the regional tournament. Challenges again awaited the Eagles coming out of the break in January, as three men did not return, dropping the Eagles' squad to 12. After a semester opening loss, the Eagles would win two of their next three, but ultimately came up short in January with losses to region opponents North Central University and Crossroads College, dropping the Eagles to the #3 seed at the regional tournament.
After finishing up the regular season, Faith entered conference tournament play as the 5th seed. Faith faced host Ozark Christian and again were faced with difficulty with two players unavailable for the game. The team responded well, giving the host all they could handle but ultimately coming up short. With a full squad the next two days, Faith dispatched St. Louis Christian and Emmaus Bible College for a 2-1 tournament record and 5th place tournament finish. Jon Luke Talton was recognized as a Second Team All Conference player. As a team, the Eagles were selected as the conference Sportsmanship Award recipients.
Faith entered the regional tournament as the #3 seed and faced Oak Hills Christian College in the quarterfinals. After a slow start, Faith gained some momentum in the second half, taking an 11 point win which put Faith in the semifinal with host North Central University. NCU came out hot from everywhere and the Eagles had no answer as NCU defeated Faith. At the regional awards luncheon Aaron Leistikow was recognized as a second team all region player and Jon Luke Talton was selected to the all region first team.
As the host for this year's national tournament, the Eagles earned an automatic berth into the field of 10. Faith was the #10 seed and drew #7 seed Pensacola Christian College in their first round game. Pensacola had a sigfinifcant size advantage over the Eagles and executed well on both ends of the court, resulting in a 16 point halftime deficit for Faith. The second half was better for Faith, but the 16 point halftime advantage proved to large as the Eagles fell.
The loss sent the Eagles to the consolation game where they faced conference opponent and tournament #9 seed Central Christian College of the Bible. The teams had met twice during the regular season, with CCCB coming out on top both times. Round three found the Eagles in control for the first 30 minutes of the game and after an exciting finish, it was the Eagles that came out on top to earn the upset and 9th place finish. Nationally, Jon Luke Talton was selected as an ACCA 1st Team All American and David Levy was an ACCA and NCCAA Scholar Athlete.
Faith finished their season with an overall record of 15-14, a conference record of 7-6, and a region record of 3-3. Both the men's and women's teams will be recognized at the annual Winter Sport's Athletic Awards Fellowship on Tuesday, March 22 at 6pm. The public is invited to attend.