Eagles Top Saints, Fall to #7 Knights

The Eagles beat the Saints at home earlier in the year and were looking for the regular season series sweep.

In the 1st half, the Eagles came out with a chip on their shoulder as they jumped out to an early lead. On the offensive side, the Eagles were able to stay composed against the Saints' full-court pressure, which led to some transition points at the other end of the court. On the defensive side, the Eagles zone gave the Saints problems as it kept them out of the paint. A defensive switch by the Saints slowed the Eagles' offense down, but Faith was able to maintain a single-digit lead as they went into halftime leading by 6 points. 

The 2nd half was an offensive struggle for both teams, but it was the Eagles who were able to find just enough baskets from the midrange and around the rim which led to the Eagles defeating the Saints in a solid defensive performance 65-59. 

The next day, the Eagles had a quick turnaround as they faced the seventh-ranked Knights from Spurgeon College in Kansas City. In the previous meeting, the Knights dominated the Eagles, so the Eagles were looking to show they could compete with the Knights. 

Spurgeon jumped on the Eagles early, but Faith managed to maintain their composure and began to break the Knights' pressure and get easy baskets. The Eagles were also able to turn the Knights over to earn some easy baskets of their own. The early lead by the Knights proved too big to overcome in the first half, and Faith trailed 56-41 at the half. 

The 2nd half was much like the 1st as the Eagles were able to do a lot of good things on the offensive end, but couldn't seem to slow the Knights' offense, which leads the nation in scoring.. Unfortunately, as the Eagles got tired, their defense began to wear down and the Knights continued to score the ball. Despite the valiant effort from the Eagles and their highest offensive total of the season, in the end, the Knight's up-tempo pace and offensive firepower were too much for the Eagles as they defeated Faith 122-94. Andy Hecker led the Eagles in scoring with 23 points and Jared Pearson chipped in with 17 points. 

The Eagles end the regular season with a 7-15 record and 5-7 in MCCC play. Up next for the Eagles is the MCCC tournament, which will take place right in Ankeny on Faith's campus. Faith enters the tournament as the #5 overall seed and will take on Barclay College, who defeated Faith twice during the regular season.