Eagles Suffer Heartbreaking First Loss

Faith looked to continue its undefeated season tonight against Kansas Christian College (Overland Park, KS). The game was hosted at a neutral site, Emmaus Bible College, in Dubuque, IA. Faith started the game out strong and built a substantial lead over the Falcons. The Eagles were out in front the whole time, until, with .3 seconds left, Kansas Christian knocked down two free throws that gave them their first lead and the 90-89 win.

Faith was in command the entire first half. The Eagles were up 29-6 at the 10:44 mark of the half, their largest lead of the game. The team combined to shoot 8-12 from the three during the half, while Kansas Christian went just 2-14. One of those threes for Kansas Christian was a long-range shot at the halftime buzzer, providing a spark for the Falcons as they entered the half, even though they trailed Faith 44-26.

The Eagles' struggles of coming out of halftime slowly continued tonight, as they were unable to get defensive stops and take care of the ball on the offensive end, allowing the Falcons to go on a 17-4 run in the first four minutes. Another big hit for the Eagles was Jon Luke Talton picking up his fourth foul with 17 minutes left, sending him to the bench for the majority of the half. While Faith kept their lead, the team's 32 turnovers allowed Kansas Christian to capitalize and chip away at the lead. Despite having several players in foul trouble, the Eagles still led 87-82 with 30 seconds left; but Kansas Christian put together a late 8-2 run. The run included a last second shot by Jamal Holt, who was fouled on the shot, and went on to make both free throws, securing the Falcon's 90-89 victory. The game handed Faith their first loss of the season and moved their record to 4-1.

Josh Bray led the way for the Eagles with 26 points and 8 rebounds. Ryan Kupferschmid and Jon Luke Talton each contributed 20 points and 6 rebounds in the contest. Senior Jason Scheps added 13 points with limited playing time because of foul trouble.

The Eagles have a quick turnaround, with a game tomorrow, December 3 at 12:00 PM again in Dubuque, IA. They will face off with North Region rival Providence University College (Manitoba, Canada).