Eagles Suffer First Conference Loss

After a big conference win on Friday night against Barclay College, Faith returned to the court Saturday to take on another conference opponent in Manhattan Christian College (Manhattan, KS). The Eagles knew this was going to be a tough contest, as Manhattan entered the game ranked as the #2 team in the nation. With difficulties minimizing turnovers and getting shots to fall, Faith was unable to contend with the Thunder and suffered a 62-94 loss. The loss moved their record to 7-3 and 2-1 in the MCCC Conference.

Manhattan jumped on the Eagles from the get-go, leading 15-3 just over four minutes into the game. The early deficit seemed to set the tone for the rest of the game, as Faith was unable to build up momentum to chip away at Manhattan's lead. Although Faith would end the half on a 9-2 run, they still trailed the Thunder 47-29 entering the break.

At the start of the half, the Eagles hoped to spark their offense and get themselves back in the game, while Manhattan looked to build on their already significant lead. At the 14:20 mark, Faith only trailed the Thunder 54-42, but a sequence of turnovers and fouls committed by the Eagles wouldn't allow them to get any close than twelve. Faith's struggles on the offensive would continue for the rest of the game. Faith only shot 34 percent from the field for the game, whereas Manhattan shot 49 percent, including 42 percent from behind the arc. Manhattan would go on to defeat the Eagles 94-62, handing them their first conference loss.

With 19 points, Jon Luke Talton led the Eagles in scoring. Jason Scheps and Ryan Kupferschmid both ended the game with 10 points and five rebounds a piece. Chase Clark continued to provide energy and effort of the bench, as he led the Eagles with 9 rebounds and 4 steals.

The Eagles will continue conference play Friday, January 20 at 7 PM, as they travel to Kansas City, MO to take on Calvary University.