Kupferschmid Leads Eagles to Road Victory

The Eagles continued conference play on the road tonight in Kansas City, MO in a matchup with Calvary University. Faith fought through what would be a physical game and knocked off the Warriors 75-63, bettering their overall record to 8-3.  

From the tip, the Eagles knew the game was going to be a battle, both with the physical play of the Warriors and also the loud road environment. Both teams went back and forth exchanging control of the lead during the first half. Every time one team pulled ahead, the other team answered. The largest lead of the half was when Faith held a 31-25 advantage with just over four minutes left; but Calvary would cut into that lead and enter the break only trailing the Eagles 33-35. The shooting of Ryan Kupferschmid was heavily responsible for giving Faith their advantage, as he shot 4-9 from three in the first half.

The Warriors came out of halftime ready to run, forcing Faith to take quick shots, which allowed them to go on an 11-4 run and reclaim the lead, 44-39. Calvary wasn't able to hold onto the lead for long, as the Eagles started to knock down shots and draw fouls, sending them to the free throw line, where they shot 79 percent for the night.

With 5:30 left to play, Faith found themselves ahead of the Warriors 66-63. Calvary's score would remain the same until the end, as the Eagles locked down their defense and didn't allow Calvary to score for the rest of the game. Faith closed out on a 9-0 lead, to capture the 75-63 victory. The win pushes Faith to 3-1 in the conference.

The Eagles had three players score in double figures, led by Ryan Kupferschmid who scored 27 points. Twenty-one of those points came off of threes, as Kupferschmid had the hot hand and shot 7-14 from behind the arc. Jon Luke Talton followed knocking down 19 points. Both Talton and Kupferschmid grabbed 8 rebounds. Jason Scheps chipped in 14 points, despite being in foul trouble most of the second half. Chase Clark and newcomer Tanner Van Beek worked hard on the defensive end to bring in rebounds, Clark with 7 and Van Beek with 5.

The Eagles travel down to Joplin, MO for a conference game tomorrow at 3 PM with Ozark Christian College.