BALDWIN CITY – The Raven Men's Basketball team moved to 3-2 on the season Saturday with a 105-70 win over Kansas Christian College in the Baker Classic.
Benedictine limited KCC (2-5) to 25 points in the second half to turn a seven-point halftime lead into a 25-point win.
The Ravens connected on 63.3 percent from the floor in the first half with 19 field goals and six 3-pointers. Kansas Christian converted 8 of 10 from beyond the arc and finished the first half at 58.6 percent from the floor to keep pace with the Ravens.
Benedictine opened the game outscoring Kansas Christian 15-5 over the first four minutes of the game. The Ravens went on to build as much as a 12-point lead before the Eagles erased that deficit with a 12-2 run of their own which was sparked by three of their eight first-half 3-pointers.
Like the first half, the Ravens used a run to build their lead early in the second half. Benedictine outscored KCC 15-4 to start off the second half and never looked back. By the midpoint of the second half, the Ravens had built as much as a 28-point lead and saw their highest lead of the game reach 33 on a 3-pointer from Eric Krus with just over four minutes left to play.
Benedictine limited KCC to just 2 of 11 from beyond the 3-point arc in the second half and just eight field goals. They Ravens cooled slightly in the second half, shooting 58.6 percent, to finish the game at 61.0 percent while going 13 for 25 from beyond the arc. They also connected on 80 percent from the free throw line converting 8 of 10 in the first half and 12 of 15 in the second half.
Thomas O'Connor paced three Ravens in double figures with 24. Colby Nickels finished with a double-double, scoring 18 points with 10 rebounds while Adam Kutney finished with 17 points. O'Connor finished with four 3-pointers while going 9 of 10 from the floor and 2 of 2 at the free throw line.
Benedictine finished with a 42-22 advantage in points in the paint while scoring 31 points off 16 KCC turnovers.
The Ravens return to the Ralph Nolan Gymnasium on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. to take on Missouri Valley College in their Heart opener. Wednesday is Student Appreciation Night in the Nolan Gymnasium
