Eagles Give #7 Knights a Scare

On Tuesday night, the Eagles faced off against the Knights from Spurgeon College. The Knights came in ranked #7 in the country and were looking to cruise to an easy road win. Faith however, had different plans.

In the first half, the Eagles battled against the Knights high pressure and frantic/physical style of play. This backfired on Spurgeon early as they put the Eagles into the bonus with 15 minutes left to play in the half. Despite the fouls, the Knights jumped to a 33-22 lead after the first 10 minutes. The game looked like it could get out of hand but the Eagles responded with a run of their own and went into the half trailing 54-50. 

The second half proved to be just as physical and exciting as the first half. Early on, the Knights jumped back out to a 10 point lead, but the Eagles responded with a run of their own and took the lead 73-66 with 13 minutes remaining. The Knights sent another blow and took the lead 100-90. The Eagles were not done yet as they made one final push, tying the score 107-107 with a minute remaining. With 17 seconds left, the Knights pushed the dagger through the Eagles heart as they scored a floater to put them ahead by 2. The Eagles final possession ended in a turnover and the Knights narrowly escaped the Eagles 111-107. 

From start to finish the teams battled for over two hours, seeing 7 ties, 5 lead changes, 60 combined fouls, and 90 combined free throws. Neither team lead by more than 12 points at any time during the game. The Eagles had 4 players in double digit scoring including Mason Gorsh with 28, Landon Brahs with 17, Connor Parrish with 17, and Parker Lundberg with 11. Faith outrebounded their opponent by 2, and dished out 24 assists of 50% shooting from the field and deep. With the loss, the Eagles move to 10-10 on the season (4-3 in MCCC play). 

The Eagles next contest is on Friday at home as they take on the Ambassadors from Ozark Christian College at 7pm CST.