The Raven Men's Basketball team earned a 78-77 win on Saturday over Clarke University in a match up that came down to the final possession.
Adam Kutney gave Benedictine (11-9, 5-4 Heart) a three-point lead as he connected on a 3-pointer with 14 seconds remaining. After the teams traded timeouts, Clarke (9-11, 2-7 Heart) was able to get a last-second basket but it was in the paint allowing the Ravens to earn the hotly-contested one-point win.
Benedictine's win over Clarke moves the Ravens to 3-0 in the two-year series with the Pride with Saturday's match up the only game between the two schools this season. The win also improved the Ravens home conference record to 3-1.
The Ravens started off the game strong, jumping out to a 19-8 lead near the midpoint the first half. The Pride pulled back within one point with just over four minutes left in the first half before Benedictine closed the half on a 10-2 run to push their lead to 38-29 at the half.
Seconds into the second half, Benedictine grabbed an 11-point lead on a layup by Thomas O'Connor. From there, Clarke chipped away at Benedictine's lead, eventually pulling the game into its third tie at 47-47 with 12:26 left to play.
The Ravens offense started to connect once again and after a 3-pointer from Kevin Motoyer, Benedictine's lead was back to double figures, 65-55, with just under seven minutes remaining. The Pride didn't back down, hitting three 3-pointers on three possessions in a row to close the Ravens lead to 65-64 with just over five minutes left to play.
Despite the runs by the Pride, the Ravens never gave up their lead over the final five minutes of play. Clarke tied the game three more times before Kutney hit the Ravens final basket with 14 seconds left to play.
The Ravens finished with four players in double figures, led by Metoyer who had 22 points and 6 assists. O'Connor finished with 16, while Christian Hatterle added 12 off the bench. Reshardd Harris finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds, recording his sixth straight double-double and seventh overall on the season.
The Ravens shot 46 percent from the field, and hit 11 3-pointers marking the fourth time this season the Ravens have reached double-digits in 3-pointers. They also committed a season-low eight turnovers while forcing Clarke into nine turnovers which allowed the Raven to hold a 15-8 advantage in points off turnovers.
Benedictine returns to the road for their mid-week Heart match up. The Ravens head to Fayette, Mo., for a 7:30 p.m. meeting with No. 9-ranked Central Methodist University. They return home on Jan. 27 to host the Pioneers of MNU at 4 p.m. for their annual Heroes Game.
