Shooting Woes Plague Eagles in Loss to Ecclesia

ANKENY, Iowa—Sometimes, win-loss records don't paint an accurate picture of a team's talent. Such was the case with Faith's opponent, Ecclesia, last Friday, who came into the game with a record of 3-16. Most of those 16 losses had come against much larger schools, including NCAA Division 1 opponents who also play the likes of Memphis University and North Carolina State University.

Ecclesia was tall, quick, and athletic, featuring a 6-7 combo guard, a speedy 5-6 point guard, and a 6-10 freshman who was skilled inside. The Eagles battled until the end, but that trio was too much for Faith to handle, as the Royals pulled away late with a 90-81 win.

Faith's largest lead of the game came early in the first half as the Eagles jumped to an 8-2 advantage. A 15-2 run by Ecclesia gave them the lead until the 7:01 mark. The rest of the half was back and forth, with the Royals holding a one-point lead at halftime.

Ecclesia built its lead to as many as 16 in the second half. Faith rallied to cut the deficit to seven at the 4:56 mark but was unable to get any closer as Ecclesia pulled away at the end.

The Eagles struggled from the field, hitting just 3-of-30 three-point attempts, which drove their overall shooting percentage down to 38.7 percent for the game. Tanner Van Beek paced the Eagles in scoring with 18 points, followed by Nathan Keck with 15 points and 12 rebounds.

With the loss, the Eagles fell to 10-7, overall. Faith plays its final home game of the season this Friday at 7:00 p.m. against Baptist Bible of Springfield, Missouri. The Patriots are 12-3 and defeated Ecclesia by the score of 111-102 earlier this month.