The Raven men's basketball team wrapped up 2012 on Sunday afternoon with a 75-62 comeback effort against Harris-Stowe State University inside the Ralph Nolan Gymnasium.
HSSU (1-12) led by two points at the break off a 48.3 percent shooting effort. Benedictine (9-4) hit 50 percent from the floor in the second half while forcing 13 second-half turnovers to outscore HSSU 46-31 in the second half.
After leading early, the Ravens went cold on the offensive end of the floor which allowed Harris-Stowe to pull ahead by as much as nine points by the midpoint of the first half.
Benedictine finally found their offensive rhythm late in the half but couldn't get any closer than one possession as they went into the half trailing by two points.
In the second half, the game continued where the first half ended as the two teams continued to trade baskets.
After the game's seventh tie, back-to-back baskets by Raven guard John Harris Jr. (Fr., Lincoln) pushed Benedictine ahead for good.
The Ravens closed out the game outscoring the Hornets 30-17 over the final nine minutes of the game to earn the comeback win.
Benedictine scored 15 points off 13 second-half Harris-Stowe turnovers. The Ravens held a 22-8 advantage in points off turnovers, forcing HSSU into 22 total turnovers. The Ravens also dominated the paint, outscoring the Hornets 44-28.
The Ravens got a 32-point effort off their bench as they outscored the Hornets 32-4.
All five of the starters for HSSU finished in double figures but couldn't match the game-high effort of Benedictine forward Charlie Wallrapp (Jr., Omaha) with 14.
Benedictine guard John Harris, Jr., (Fr., Lincoln, Neb.) added 11 points to round out the Raven double figure scorers. Forwards Rafail Tsourakis (Soph., Athens, Greece) and Jalen Messersmith (Soph., Blue Springs, Mo.) led the bench-scoring effort for the Ravens with 8 points each.
HSSU was led by the 13-point effort of forward Jordan Loveless.
The Ravens return to action on Jan. 3, hosting Heart of America Athletic Conference opponents Culver-Stockton College at 7:30 p.m.
