Clutch Free Throws Secure Comeback Win for Eagles

By Loretta Gamboe, Staff Writer

ANKENY, Iowa--The Faith Eagles broke their losing streak Tuesday night with an exciting comeback win over the Union College Warriors.  After being down by seven with less than five minutes left in the game, the Eagles made twelve out of fourteen free throws to win 65-58. 

The Eagles grabbed an early lead and held onto it for most of the first half, building it as high as 6 points, 17-11, before the Warriors came back and tied the score at 21 with ten minutes left in the first half.  The Warriors went on an 8-0 run to grab a 28-21 lead.  The Eagles trimmed their lead to 4 at 29-33 with three and a half minutes in the half only for the Warriors to outscore them 7-2 in the rest of the half, resulting in a 31-40 halftime score. 

In the second half, the Warriors grabbed their biggest lead of the game, 42-31, with a quick jump shot in the first minute.  The Eagles clawed their way back into the game, outscoring the Warriors 9-0 in the next four minutes to make it a two-point game.  The Warriors pulled away again, increasing their lead to as many as 8 points at 48-40, and with eight minutes left in the game, the score was 47-56. 

The Eagles started to come back with a pair of made free throws by Tanner Van Beek to bring the score to 49-56.  In the next four minutes, point guard Sam Pedersen and post Chase Clark combined for six points to bring the score to 55-56.  Guard Micah Stinson hit a jumper to give the Eagles their first lead of the half, and though the Warriors scored one more time, forward Kalab Sidlinger nailed a pair of free throws with a minute left in the game to reclaim the lead, 59-58.  Sam Pedersen, Tanner Van Beek, and Jason Conable all went 2 for 2 from the free throw line in the last minute to secure the 65-58 victory over the Warriors. 

Freshman Kalab Sidlinger led the Eagles in scoring with 18 points, 6 rebounds, 6 steals, and 3 assists.  Chase Clark and Jason Conable also scored in double digits. Clark had 11 points and 8 rebounds, while Conable had 10 points and 5 rebounds.  Sam Pedersen and Micah Stinson each scored 9 points. 

The Eagles return to action this weekend with a matchup against Calvary University on Friday at 7 p.m. and against Ozark Christian College on Saturday at 3 p.m.