The No. 23-ranked Raven Men's Basketball team used a 57.6 percent effort from the floor in the second half on Wednesday afternoon to earn a 69-57 win over Grace University in their final non-conference game of the season.
Benedictine (9-3) led by two points at the break as Grace (9-6) built as much as a four-point lead over the Ravens in the first half. The Ravens led wire-to-wire in the second half as they built as much as a 15-point lead en route to the win.
The Ravens shot just 37.9 percent from the floor in the first half but held the Royals to just 29.4. Neither team attempted a free throw over the first 20 minutes of action as just eight total fouls were called.
The Royals held a 14-10 advantage in the point during the first half but that was erased in the second half by the Ravens.
Benedictine finished the game with a total of 36 points in the paint, outscoring the Royals 26-10 in the second half.
After turning the ball over 10 times in the first half, the Ravens committed just four turnovers in the second half allowing Benedictine to take control in the second half.
After Grace pulled within a point midway through the second half, the Ravens outscored them 16-7 over a five-minute stretch to pull ahead by double figures for the first time. Benedictine held Grace to just six points over the final five minutes of the game to earn the 12-point win.
The Ravens scored 19 points off 14 Grace turnovers, with 15 of those points coming off seven second-half turnovers.
Benedictine also held a 36-12 advantage off the bench as three Ravens finished in double figures. Andre Yates led the way with 17 points while Adam Kutney and Thomas O'Connor added 15 and 10 respectively. Grace was led in scoring by a game-high 19 points from DJ Hanes.
Benedictine is off until Dec. 30 when they travel to Kearney, Neb., for an exhibition game with NCAA Div. II University of Nebraska-Kearney. They return to conference play on Jan. 4 with a trip to Marshall, Mo., to take on Missouri Valley College. They return to the Ralph Nolan Gymnasium on Jan. 7 when they host Mount Mercy University at 4 p.m.
